2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C CLASS COUPE warning

138 Controls in detailGood visibility
Good visibilityInformation on the windshield wipers
(page 48) and for setting the rear view
mirrors (
page 39) is found in the “Get-
ting started” section.
Rear view mirror
Inside rear view mirror, antiglare posi-
tion
Tilt the mirror to the antiglare night posi-
tion using the lever at its lower edge. Automatic antiglare rear view mirror*
The reflection brightn
ess of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the inside rear view mirror will respond au-
tomatically to glare when


the ignition is switched on, and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the inside rear view mir-
ror. The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gear is engaged


the interior lighting is turned onWarning!
G
The automatic antiglare function does not
react if incoming light is not aimed directly
at sensors in the inside rear view mirror.
The inside rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun-
shade is in raised position.
Glare can endanger you and others.

139
Controls in detail
Good visibility
Warning!
G
In the case of an accident liquid electrolyte
may escape from the mirror housing if the
mirror glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state by applying plenty of water.

141
Controls in detail
Good visibility
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visors down when you expe-
rience glare.
1
Mounting
2 Mirror cover
3 Mirror lamp
4 Sun visor

To use mirror, lift up cover 2.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
iIf sunlight enters through a side win-
dow, disengage sun visor from
mounting 1 and pivot to the side.
The mirror lamp 3 will switch off.

144 Controls in detailClimate controlThe climate control is operational whenev-
er the engine is running. You can operate
the climate control system in either the au-
tomatic or manual mode. The system cools
or heats the interior depending on the se-
lected interior temperature and the cur-
rent outside temperature.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the
AC
OFF
mode is selected
(
page 148)Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.

146 Controls in detailClimate controlDefrosting
Activating
Press button
P
(page 143).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on
or

Switch off air recirculation, if selected.
Press button
O
(page 143).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Open left and right side air vents and
adjust side air vents upwards. Deactivating

Press button
P
(page 143).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment. Activating

Press button
O
(page 143).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.
iIf you keep button
O
pressed the
side windows and panorama slid-
ing/pop-up roof will be closed.
The air recirculation mode is activated
automatically at high outside tempera-
tures.
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing (
page 148) or the outside
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the
air recirculation mode will not switch
on automatically.

147
Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating
Press button
O
(page 143)
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:


after five minutes if the outside temper-
ature is below approximately 41°F
(5 °C)


after five minutes if the air conditioning
is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temper-
ature is above approximately 41°F
(5 °C) At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26 °C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Activating
Press button
F
(page 143).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up. Deactivating

Press button
F
(page 143) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iIf you keep button
O
pressed the
side windows and panorama slid-
ing/pop-up roof will be returned to
their previous position.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.

152 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control* (Canada only)The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the economy mode AC
OFF
mode
is selected (
page 151).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls 1 and 14 for the
left side or 6 and 7 for the right side to
separately adjust the air temperature on
each side of the passenger compartment.
You should raise or lower the temperature
setting in small increments, preferably
starting at 72°F (22°C). Increasing

Push temperature control
1 and/or 6.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Decreasing

Push temperature control 7
and/or 14.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Adding outside air

Turn thumbwheel 5 in dashboard
(page 150) to increase flow of out-
side air through air vents for center, left
and right sides and rear passenger
compartment.
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.

154 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control* (Canada only)Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set to
U
and there is a high need for
cooling, the display “AUTO MAXCOOL” ap-
pears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
panorama sliding/pop-up roof* are
closed).
Defrosting
Activating
Press button
P
(page 151).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up

Switch off air recirculation, if selected.

Press button
O
(page 151).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Adjust side air vents upwards.
Deactivating

Press button
P
(page 151).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
Activating
Press button
O
(page 151).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.