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
184 Controls in detailPower windows
Power windowsOpening and closing the windows
The side windows can be opened and
closed electrically. The switches for all the
side windows are on the driver’s door. The
switches for the respective windows are
on the front passenger and the rear doors.
1Left front window
2Right front window
3Switch for rear door window override
(
page 71)
4Right rear window
5Left rear window
Turn key in the starter switch to
position1 or2.
Opening the windows
Press switch to resistance point.
The window will move downwards until
you release the switch.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being injured
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if switch was pulled past the resistance
point and released, by either pressing or
pulling the respective switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pulled the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pulling the
switch and holding it there, or by pressing
and holding button
‹
on the SmartKey,
the automatic reversal function will not op-
erate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from starter switch, and lock your vehi-
cle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehi-
cle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment
may cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 184 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
185 Controls in detail
Power windows
Closing the windows
Pull on switch.
The window will move upwards until
you release the switch.
If you pull and hold the switch up when
closing the window, and upward move-
ment of the window is blocked by some ob-
struction including but not limited to arms,
hands, fingers etc., the automatic reversal
will not operate.
Fully opening windows
Press switch past resistance point and
release.
The window opens completely.Fully closing windows
Pull switch past resistance point and
release.
The window closes completely.
If the upward movement of the window is
blocked during the closing procedure, the
window will stop and open slightly.Stopping windows
Press or pull respective switch again.
Warning!
G
Driver’s door only:
If within five seconds the switch1 is again
pulled past the resistance point and re-
leased, the automatic reversal will not
operate.
iYou can also open or close the win-
dows using the:
SmartKey (summer opening/con-
venience feature), see below
O
button in the control panel of
the climate control (
page 145) or
automatic climate control
(
page 153)
e
button in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 153)
S203 MY03_A.book Page 185 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
186 Controls in detailPower windowsOpening and closing the windows with
the SmartKey
The sliding/pop-up roof will also be
opened or closed when the power windows
are operated with the SmartKey.
Aim transmitter eye at the front door
handle.Opening (Summer opening feature)
Press and hold button
Œ
after un-
locking the vehicle.
The windows and sliding/pop-up roof
begin to open after approximately one
second.
Release transmit button to interrupt
procedure.
Closing (Convenience feature)
Press and hold button
‹
after lock-
ing the vehicle.
The windows and sliding/pop-up roof
begin to close after approximately one
second.
Release transmit button to interrupt
procedure.
Ensure that all side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof are properly closed before
leaving the vehicle.
Synchronizing power windows
The power windows must be resynchro-
nized each time after the battery has been
disconnected:
Pull the power window switches until
the side windows are closed and hold
the switches for approximately one
second.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or slid-
ing/pop-up roof if there is the possibility of
anyone being harmed by the opening or
closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger, the procedure can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the remote control button.
To reverse direction of movement,
pressŒ for opening or ‹ for closing.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 186 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
188 Controls in detailSliding/pop-up roof*Stopping the sliding / pop-up roof
Move the switch in any direction.
If the movement of the sliding/pop-up
roof is blocked during the closing pro-
cedure, the roof will stop and reopen
slightly.
Opening and closing the sliding/pop-up
roof with the SmartKey
The power windows will also be opened or
closed when the sliding/pop-up roof is op-
erated with the key.
Aim transmitter eye at the front door
handle.
iYou can also open or close the slid-
ing/pop-up roof using the:
SmartKey (summer opening/con-
venience feature) (
page 188)
button
O
in the control panel of
the climate control (
page 145) or
automatic climate control
(
page 153)
button
e
in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 153)
!To avoid damaging the seals, do not
transport any objects with sharp edges
which can stick out of the slid-
ing/pop-up roof.
The sliding/pop-up roof can be opened
or closed manually should an electrical
malfunction occur (
page 290).
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or slid-
ing/pop-up roof if there is the possibility of
anyone being harmed by the opening or
closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger, the procedure can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the remote control button.
To reverse direction of movement,
pressŒ for opening or ‹ for closing.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 188 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
189 Controls in detail
Sliding/pop-up roof*
Opening
Press and hold button
Œ
after un-
locking the vehicle.
The windows and sliding/pop-up roof
begin to open after approximately one
second.
Release transmit button to interrupt
procedure.Closing
Press and hold button
‹
after lock-
ing the vehicle.
The windows and sliding/pop-up roof
begin to close after approximately one
second.
Release transmit button to interrupt
procedure.
Ensure that all side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof are properly closed before
leaving the vehicle.
Synchronizing the sliding / pop-up roof
The power sliding/pop-up roof must be re-
synchronized each time after the battery
has been disconnected, the slid-
ing/pop-up roof has been closed manually
or the sliding/pop-up roof does not open
smoothly or malfunctions.
Turn the key in starter switch to posi-
tion 1 or2 (
page 31).
Press the switch in the "raise" direction
until the sliding/pop-up roof is fully
raised at the rear (
page 187).
Hold the switch for approximately one
second.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 189 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
216 Controls in detailUseful featuresUpgrade signals
The Tele Aid system processes calls using
the following priority.
Automatic emergency – First priority
Manual emergency – Second priority
Roadside assistance – Third priority
Information – Fourth priority
Should a higher priority call be initiated
while you are connected, an upgrade (al-
ternating) tone will be heard, and the ap-
propriate indicator lamp will flash. If
certain information such as vehicle identi-
fication number or customer information is
not available, the operator may need to re-
transmit.
During this time you will hear a beep and
voice contact will be interrupted. Voice
contact will resume once the retransmis-
sion is completed. Once a call is conclud-
ed, a beep will be heard and the
appropriate indicator lamp will stop flash-
ing. The COMAND* system operation will
resume.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash
or the system does not reset, contact
the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Cus-
tomer Service at 1-800-387-0100 in
Canada.iThe indicator lamp in the respective
button flashes until the call is conclud-
ed. Calls can only be terminated by a
Response Center or Customer Assis-
tance Center representative except
Roadside Assistance and Information
calls, which can also be terminated by
pressing button
ì
on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated,
the audio system or the COMAND* sys-
tem audio is muted and the selected
mode (radio, tape or CD) pauses. The
optional cellular phone (if installed)
switches off. If you must use this
phone, the vehicle must be parked. Dis-
connect the coiled cord and place the
call. The COMAND* navigation system
(if engaged) will continue to run. The
display in the instrument cluster is
available for use and spoken com-
mands are only available by pressing
the RPT button on the COMAND* unit.
A pop-up window will appear in the
COMAND* display to indicate that a
Tele Aid call is in progress.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 216 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM
228 OperationDriving instructionsWinter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move selector lever to positionN or in
case of manual transmission declutch. Try
to keep the vehicle under control by cor-
rective steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
We therefore recommend depressing the
brake pedal periodically when traveling at
length on salt-strewn roads.
This can bring road salt impaired braking
efficiency back to normal. Be very careful
that you carry out these braking maneu-
vers without endangering any other road
users.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed while observing the
safety rules in the previous paragraph.
For more information on winter driving
(
page 244).
iInformation on driving with snow
chains (
page 245).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d t o s e r v e a s a n i c e - w a r n i n g d e v i c e a n d
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice.
S203 MY03_A.book Page 228 Tuesday, January 28, 2003 2:22 PM