2003 MERCEDES-BENZ C320 4MATIC WAGON Owner's Manual

143 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Headlamp cleaning system*
The switch is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer switch
Switch on ignition.

Press switch1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.
Information on filling up the washer reser-
voir can be found in the “Operation” sec-
tion (page 240).
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visors down when you expe-
rience glare.1Mounting
2Mirror cover
3Mirror lamp
4Sun visor

To use mirror, lift up cover2.
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
mounting1 and pivot to the side.
The mirror lamp3 will switch off.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 143 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

144 Controls in detailClimate control
Climate controlS203 MY03_A.book Page 144 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

145 Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel
The storage compartment between the
front seats can be ventilated (
page 150).
Information about “Rear passenger com-
partment adjustable air vents”
(
page 151).
Item
1
Air volume control for left center air
vent
2
Left center air vent, adjustable
3
Right center air vent, adjustable
4
Air volume control for right center
air vent
5
Air volume control for side air vent
6
Side air vent, adjustable
7
Side defroster vent, fixed
8
Climate control paneliFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents to the mid-
dle position.
Item
1
Air volume control
2
Left-side temperature control
3
Right-side temperature control
4
Air distribution control switch
5
Rear window defroster
6
AC cooling on/off (AC
OFF
)
7
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic)
8
Air recirculation
9
Defrosting
S203 MY03_A.book Page 145 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

146 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 150).
Setting the temperature
Use the temperature controls2 and3 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
Turn the control slightly to the right.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Decreasing

Turn the control slightly to the left.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
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.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 146 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

147 Controls in detail
Climate control
Adjusting air distribution and volume
Use the air distribution control4
(page 145) to adjust the air distribution.
The following symbols are found on the
controls:Adjusting manually

Press the
U
button.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Select any of the six air volume speeds
and the air distribution.
Adjusting automatically

Press the
U
button.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air distribution and vol-
ume is adjusted automatically.
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on.

Switch to manual mode.

Turn the air distribution control
to
a
or
Y
.
Defrosting
Activating
Press button
P
(page 145).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
or

Switch off air recirculation, if selected.
Press button
O
(page 145).
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.
Symbol
Function
a
Directs air through the center,
side and rear passenger
compartment air vents
Z
Directs air to the windows
X
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
Y
Directs air to the footwells
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 147 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

148 Controls in detailClimate controlDeactivating
Press button
P
(page 145).
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 145).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press button
O
(page 145).
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.
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 sliding/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 or the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), the air recirculation mode
will not switch on automatically.
iIf you keep button
O
pressed the
side windows and sliding/pop-up roof
will be returned to their previous posi-
tion.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 148 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

149 Controls in detail
Climate control
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 145).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
F
(page 145) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Deactivating the climate control sys-
tem
Deactivating
Set the air volume control
(page 145) to position0.
Reactivating

Set the air volume control
(page 145) to any speed.
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.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 149 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM

150 Controls in detailClimate controlAir conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the climate
control system. The air in the vehicle will
then no longer be cooled or dehumidified.
Press buttonAC
OFF
(page 145).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

PressAC
OFF
again (
page 145).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFC’s
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Ventilated storage compartment
The front center console storage compart-
ment has its own air vent that allows for
cooling ventilation when the automatic cli-
mate control system is activated.
1Lever
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioning is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
iYou should keep this air vent closed
when outside temperatures are low.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 150 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM