Mercedes-Benz C-Class (W205) 2015 - 2021 Owners Manual: Data storage

Electronic control units

Electronic control units are installed in your vehicle.

Some of these are necessary for the safe operation of your vehicle, while some assist you when driving (driver assistance systems). In addition, your vehicle provides comfort and entertainment functions, which are also made possible by electronic control units.

Electronic control units contain data memories which can temporarily or permanently store technical information about the vehicle's operating state, component loads, maintenance requirements and technical events or malfunctions.

In general, this information documents the state of a component part, a module, a system or the surroundings such as:

• operating status of system components (e.g.fill levels, battery status, tire pressure)
• status messages concerning the vehicle or its individual components (e.g. number of wheel revolutions/speed, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, display of fastened seat belts)
• malfunctions or faults in important system components (e.g. lights, brakes)
• information on events leading to vehicle damage
• system reactions in special driving situations (e.g. airbag deployment, intervention of stability control systems)
• ambient conditions (e.g. temperature, rain sensor)

In addition to providing the actual control unit function, this data assists the manufacturer in detecting and rectifying malfunctions and optimizing vehicle functions. The majority of this data is temporary and is only processed in the vehicle itself. Only a small portion of the data is stored in the event or malfunction memory.

When your vehicle is serviced, technical data from the vehicle can be read out by service network employees (e.g. workshops, manufacturers) or third parties (e.g. breakdown services).

Services include repair services, maintenance processes, warranty claims and quality assurance measures, for example. The read out is performed via the legally prescribed port for the diagnostics connection in the vehicle. The respective service network locations or third parties collect, process and use the data. They document technical statuses of the vehicle, assist in finding malfunctions and improving quality and are transmitted to the manufacturer, if necessary. Furthermore, the manufacturer is subject to product liability. For this, the manufacturer requires technical data from vehicles.

Fault memories in the vehicle can be reset by a service outlet as part of repair or maintenance work.

Depending on the selected equipment, you can import data into the vehicle's comfort and infotainment functions yourself.

This includes, for example:

• multimedia data such as music, films or photos for playback in an integrated multimedia system
• address book data for use in connection with an integrated hands-free system or an integrated navigation system
• entered navigation destinations
• data about the use of Internet services

This data can be saved locally in the vehicle or it is located on a device which you have connected to the vehicle (e.g. smartphone, USB flash drive or MP3 player). If this data is stored in the vehicle, you can delete it at any time. This data is sent to third parties only at your request, particularly when you use online services in accordance with the settings that you have selected.

You can store or change convenience settings/ individualization in the vehicle at any time.

Depending on the equipment, this includes, for example:

• settings for the seat and steering wheel positions
• suspension and climate control settings
• customizations such as interior lighting

If your vehicle is accordingly equipped, you can connect your smartphone or another mobile end device to the vehicle. You can control this by means of the control elements integrated in the vehicle. Images and audio from the smartphone can be output via the multimedia system. Certain information is simultaneously transferred to your smartphone.

Depending on the type of integration, this can include:

• general vehicle data
• position data

This allows you to use selected apps on your smartphone, such as navigation or music playback.

There is no further interaction between the smartphone and the vehicle; in particular, vehicle data is not directly accessible. Which type of further data processing occurs is determined by the provider of the specific app used. Which settings you can make, if any, depends on the specific app and the operating system of your smartphone.

Online services

Wireless network connection If your vehicle has a wireless network connection, it enables data to be exchanged between your vehicle and additional systems. The wireless network connection is enabled via the vehicle's transmission and reception unit or via connected mobile end devices (e.g. smartphones).

Online functions can be used via the wireless network connection. This includes online services and applications/apps provided by the manufacturer or other providers.

Manufacturer's services Regarding online services of the manufacturer, the individual functions are described by the manufacturer in a suitable place (e.g. Operator's Manual, website of the manufacturer) along with the relevant data protection information. Personal data may be used for the provision of online services. Data is exchanged via a secure connection, e.g. the manufacturer's designated IT systems. Personal data is collected, processed and used via the provision of services exclusively on the basis of legal permissions or with prior consent.

The services and functions (sometimes subject to a fee) can usually be activated or deactivated.

In some cases, this also applies to the entire vehicle's data connection. This excludes, in particular, legally prescribed functions and services.

Third party services If it is possible to use online services from other providers, these services are subject to the data protection and terms of use of the responsible provider. The manufacturer has no influence on the content exchanged.

Please inquire, therefore, about the type, scope and purpose of the collection and use of personal data as part of third party services from their respective provider.

Multimedia system/Mercedes me connect

If the vehicle is equipped with the multimedia system or Mercedes me connect, additional data about the vehicle's operation, the use of the vehicle in certain situations, and the location of the vehicle may be compiled by the multimedia system or Mercedes me connect.

For additional information please refer to the chapter "Multimedia system" and/or the Mercedes me connect Terms and Conditions.

Event data recorders

USA only: This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder (EDR). The main purpose of an EDR is to record, in certain crash or near crash-like situations, such as an airbag deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist in understanding how a vehicle's systems performed.

The EDR is designed to record data related to vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time, typically 30 seconds or less.

The EDR in this vehicle is designed to record such data as:

• How various systems in your vehicle were operating
• Whether or not the driver and front passenger seat belts were buckled/fastened
• How far (if at all) the driver was depressing the accelerator and/or brake pedal and
• How fast the vehicle was traveling

This data can help provide a better understanding of the circumstances in which accidents and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data is recorded by your vehicle only if a non-trivial crash situation occurs; no data is recorded by the EDR under normal driving conditions and no personal data (e.g. name, gender, age and accident location) is recorded. However, other parties, such as law enforcement, could combine EDR data with the type of personally identifying data routinely acquired during a crash investigation.

Access to the vehicle and/or the EDR is needed to read data that is recorded by the EDR, and special equipment is required. In addition to the vehicle manufacturer, other parties that have the special equipment, such as law enforcement, can read the information by accessing the vehicle or the EDR.

EDR data may be used in civil and criminal matters as a tool in accident reconstruction, accident claims and vehicle safety. Since the Crash Data Retrieval (CDR) tool that is used to extract data from the EDR is commercially available, Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC ("MBUSA") expressly disclaims any and all liability arising from the extraction of this information by unauthorized Mercedes-Benz personnel.

MBUSA will not share EDR data with others without the consent of the vehicle owner or, if the vehicle is leased, without the consent of the lessee.

Exceptions to this representation include responses to subpoenas by law enforcement; by federal, state or local government; in connection with or arising out of litigation involving MBUSA or its subsidiaries and affiliates; or, as required by law.

Warning: the EDR is a component of the Restraint System Module. Tampering with, altering, modifying or removing the EDR component may result in a malfunction of the Restraint System Module and other systems.

State laws or regulations regarding EDRs that conflict with federal regulation are pre-empted.

This means that in the event of such conflict, the federal regulation governs. As of December 2016, 17 states have enacted laws relating to EDRs.

Copyright

Free and open source software

Information on free and open source software licenses for your vehicle's software can be found on the data storage medium in your vehicle document wallet and on the Internet together with updates: http://www.mercedes-benz.com/opensource

Registered trademarks

• Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG Inc.
• DTS is a registered trademark of DTS, Inc.
• Dolby and MLP are registered trademarks of DOLBY Laboratories.
• BabySmart, ESP and PRE-SAFE are registered trademarks of Daimler AG.
• HomeLink is a registered trademark of Johnson Controls.
• iPod and iTunes are registered trademarks of Apple Inc.
• Burmester is a registered trademark of Burmester Audiosysteme GmbH.
• Microsoft and Windows Media are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
• SIRIUS is a registered trademark of Sirius XM Radio Inc.
• HD Radio is a registered trademark of iBiquity Digital Corporation.
• Gracenote is a registered trademark of Gracenote, Inc.
• ZAGATSurvey and related brands are registered trademarks of ZagatSurvey, LLC.