2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS control system

157 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Good visibility
Information on the windshield wipers
(page 47) and for setting the rear view
mirrors (
page 38) is found in the "Get-
ting started" section.
Rear view mirror
Automatic antiglare rear view mirror
The reflection brightness 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-
rorThe 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.
Glare can endanger you and others.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.
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158 Controls in detailGood visibilityParking position*
For easier parking you can store a parking
position for the passenger exterior rear
view mirror (
page 111).
To activate the automatic mirror setting,
see "Setting parking position for exterior
rear view mirror" (
page 144).
If the passenger side mirror is selected
(
page 111) the exterior rear view mirror
will be turned downward in the stored po-
sition as soon as you engage reverse
gearR.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position


10 seconds after you put the gear se-
lector lever out of positionR


immediately once you exceed a speed
of approx. 6 mph (10 km/h)


immediately when you press the button
for driver’s side mirror (
page 39)
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on ignition.

Press button1.
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 267).
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visors down when you expe-
rience glare.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.
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165 Controls in detail
Climate control
The 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 170).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls1 and7 to sepa-
rately adjust the air temperature on each
side of the passenger compartment. You
should raise or lower the temperature set-
ting in small increments, preferably start-
ing 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.
Do not obstruct air flow by placing ob-
jects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.
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169 Controls in detail
Climate control


after five minutes if the air conditioner
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 buttonF.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonF again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
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.
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170 Controls in detailClimate controlDeactivating the climate control sys-tem
Deactivating
Press button M(
page 164).
Reactivating

Press button Magain(
page 164).
or

Press any button on the climate control
panel (
page 164).
Air conditioner
The air conditioner 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 164).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
comes on.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air conditioner.

PressAC
OFF
again (
page 164).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioner uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the air conditioner cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioner is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioner checked at the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
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171 Controls in detail
Climate control
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 or remove it from the starter
switch.

Press buttonT (
page 164).
The indicator lamp on buttonT
comes on.Deactivating

Press buttonT (
page 164).
The indicator lamp on buttonT
goes out.
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the battery voltage drops
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.
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175 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
The automatic climate control is a 4-zone
intelligent climate control system. Your ve-
hicle interior is divided into 4 zones.With the help of a sun sensor, the automat-
ic climate control determines the relation
of the sun to the vehicle and automatically
adjusts the inside temperature for every in-
dividual zone.
You can set the temperature for each of
the 4 zones separately. These settings can
be assigned to a key and stored in memory
(
page 144).
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. It cools
the vehicle’s interior according to the an-
gle and intensity of the sun’s rays, the out-
side temperature and the selected
temperature.The activated charcoal filter, when
switched on, markedly reduces odors and
removes pollutants from the air entering
the passenger compartment.
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.iCondensation may drip from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the interior has been heated, air the
vehicle out before driving.
Keep the air intake between the hood
and the windshield free of snow.
Do not cover the ventilation slot be-
tween the rear shelf and the rear win-
dow.
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176 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*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
is se-
lected (
page 174).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature control3 for the left side
or5 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 top of temperature control rocker
switch3 and/or5.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Decreasing

Push bottom of temperature control
rocker switch3 and/or5.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Heating:
Only in manual air distribution mode is it
possible to lower the temperature in the
headroom by adding outside air using
thumbweel7 (
page 172) in the dash-
board.
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.
Do not obstruct air flow by placing ob-
jects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.
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