Page 153 of 370

159 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Air 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 automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press buttonAC
OFF
(page 153).
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 153).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation*
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1 o r r e m o v e i t f r o m t h e s t a r t e r
switch.
Press button
T
(page 153).
The indicator lamp on button
T
comes on.
Deactivating
Press button
T
.
The indicator lamp on button
T
goes off.
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.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 159 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 154 of 370
160 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*The residual heat is automatically turned
off:
when the ignition is switched on
after about 30 minutes
if the battery voltage dropsRear passenger compartment adjust-
able air vents
1Center air vent, left
2Thumbwheel for air volume control for
center air vents
3Center air vent, right
4Closing center air vents
5Opening center air vents
6Switching on blowerAdjusting the air volume
Turn thumbwheel2.
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.
iFour blower speeds are available.
The temperature at the air vents for
rear passenger compartment1 and3
is the same as at the dashboard center
air vents.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 160 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 155 of 370

161 Controls in detail
Audio system
Audio system
Audio and telephone, operation
These instructions are intended to help
you become acquainted with your
Mercedes-Benz car radio. They contain
useful tips and a detailed description of the
user functions.
Operating safety
Warning!
G
In order to avoid distraction which could
lead to an accident, system settings should
be entered with the vehicle at standstill and
systems should be operated by the driver
only when traffic conditions permit. Always
pay full attention to traffic conditions first
before operating system controls while driv-
ing.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your car is cover-
ing a distance of approximately 44 feet (ap-
proximately 13.5 m) every second.
1
1The right to correct errors and make technical
amendments is reserved.
Warning!
G
Any alterations made to electronic compo-
nents can cause malfunctions.
The radio, cassette deck, CD changer*, and
telephone* and voice control system* are
interconnected. When one of the compo-
nents is not operational or has not been
removed / replaced properly, the function of
other components may be impaired.
This condition might seriously impair the op-
erating safety of your vehicle.
We recommend that you have any service
work on electronic components carried out
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 161 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 156 of 370
162 Controls in detailAudio systemOperating and display elementsS203 MY03_A.book Page 162 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 157 of 370
163 Controls in detail
Audio system
Item
Page
1
CD mode selector
174
2
Manual tuning
(radio)
168
Fast forward/reverse
(cassette, CD)
172,
176
Speed dialing memory
(telephone*)
181
3
Radio mode selector
167
4
Display
Item
Page
5
Alpha-numeric keypadBand selection,
station buttons (radio)
167
CD selection (CD)
175
Telephone number entry,
retrieving speed dialing
memory (telephone*)
178
6
Scanning (radio, cas-
sette, CD)
169,
172,
176
7
Function button
168
8
Soft keys
164
Item
Page
9
Cassette eject
171
10
Cassette mode selector
170
11
Telephone* mode selec-
tor
178
12
Seek tuning (radio)
168
Track search (cassette,
CD)
171,
176
Speed dialing memory
(telephone*)
181
13
On /off
164
Volume
164
S203 MY03_A.book Page 163 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 158 of 370

164 Controls in detailAudio systemButton and soft key operation
In these instructions, the alpha-numeric
keypad (right side of radio face) and the
function buttons (left side of the radio
face) are referred to as “buttons” and the
four keys under the display are referred to
as “soft keys”.Operation
Switching on/off
Switching on:
Turn the key to position 1 or 2 in the
starter switch.
or
Turn control knob
a
.Switching off:
Remove the key from the starter
switch.
or
Turn control knob
a
.
Adjusting the volume
Turn control knob
a
.
The volume will increase or decrease
according to the direction turned.Adjusting audio functions
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press the
AUD key to call up the bass, treble, bal-
ance and fader functions.
Settings for bass and treble are stored sep-
arately for the AM (medium wave, long
wave, short wave) and FM (ultra-short
wave) frequency bands, cassette mode
and CD mode.
iDo not press directly on the radio dis-
play face.
iIf the radio is turned on without the key
in the ignition, it will automatically turn
off again after approx. 30 minutes.
iIf your vehicle was equipped with a
telephone* and voice control system*,
and both are connected to the car ra-
dio, their volume can be adjusted sepa-
rately while the telephone* is being
used or voice control system* is acti-
vated.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 164 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 159 of 370

165 Controls in detail
Audio system
Bass
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BASS
ap-
pears on the display.
Press the
+ or
- key to increase or de-
crease the tone level accordingly.
or
Press both the
+ and
- keys simulta-
neously to reset the bass tones to the
center (flat) level.Treble
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
TREBLE
ap-
pears on the display.
Press the
+ or
- key to increase or de-
crease the tone level accordingly.
or
Press both the
+ and
- keys simulta-
neously to reset the treble tones to
their center (flat) level.Fader
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
FADER
ap-
pears on the display.
Press the
F or
R key to shift the sound
accordingly.
or
Press both the
F and
R keys simulta-
neously to reset the fader to its center
level.
iYour vehicle may or may not have the
fader function, depending on the vehi-
cle equipment and model.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 165 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
Page 160 of 370
166 Controls in detailAudio systemBalance
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key repeatedly until
BALANCE
appears on the display.
Press the
L or
R key to shift the sound
accordingly.
or
Press both the
L and
R keys simulta-
neously to reset the balance to its cen-
ter level.Returning audio functions to factory set-
tings
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
and hold the
AUD
key longer than 2 sec-
onds.
RESET
will appear on the display.
All settings for bass, treble and balance
are returned to center and the volume
is set to a predefined level.Audio system sound selection (EXT)*
In radio, cassette and CD mode, press
the
AUD
key.
The sound settings menu appears on
the display.
Press the
EXT
key.
Press one of the function keys.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 166 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM