2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS setting

205 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Distance warning function on/off
switch
2Control lamp
3Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting tells Dis-
tronic to maintain a greater following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.
Turn thumbwheel3 towards¯.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting tells Dis-
tronic to maintain a shorter following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel3 towards®.
Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you when recog-
nizing a stationary obstacle or a slower
vehicle moving in the vehicle’s path and
the danger of a collision exists:


The distance warning lampl in the
instrument cluster comes on.


An intermittent warning sounds.
If these warnings are issued, you must
brake manually to maintain a safe distance
and avoid a collision with the vehicle
ahead.
When pressing the brake pedal, the warn-
ing sound stops. The warning sound also
stops when the distance to the vehicle ahead is sufficient again without applying
the brake pedal. In this case the distance
warning lamp also extinguishes.
Warning!
G
If the DTR warning lamp
l
in the instru-
ment cluster lights up while driving and/or
an intermittent warning sounds, immediate
attention on the part of the driver is re-
quired.
As required by the traffic situation, apply the
brakes and navigate around a possible ob-
stacle. However, do not drive by relying on
the distance warning function, as this will re-
sult in an emergency braking application.
Especially depending on road surface condi-
tions and driver reaction, this will not always
enable you to avoid a collision.
iComplex driving situations are not al-
ways fully recognized by Distronic. This
could result in wrong or missing dis-
tance warnings.
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209 Controls in detail
Driving systems
AIRMATIC DC (Dual Control)*
Vehicle level control
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to

reduce fuel consumption


increase vehicle safety
The following vehicle chassis ride heights
are possible:


Normal


Raised


Lowered
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


With increasing speed, ride height is re-
duced automatically by up to approxi-
mately 0.6 inch (15 mm) "Lowered"
level.


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the "Normal" level.
Select the "Raised" level only when re-
quired by current driving conditions. Oth-
erwise


fuel consumption may increase


handling may be impairediThese height adjustments are so small
that you may not notice any change.
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.
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210 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary and
the engine is running:
The switch is located in the lower section
of the center console.
1Vehicle level control switch
2Indicator lamp

Briefly press switch1 to change from
"Normal" level to "Raised" level. When
vehicle is at "Raised" level, pressing the
switch will return the vehicle to "Nor-
mal" level.
Vehicle level when
stationary
Use for
Ride height increase
over normal
Automatic lowering
Indicator lamp (
page 210)
Normal
Normal operation
None
Max. approx. 0.6 in (15 mm)
Lamp off
Raised
Driving with snow
chains or very
rough road sur-
face conditions
Approx. 1 in (25 mm)
Max. approx. 1 in (25 mm)
Lamp on
iAt a speed of approx. above 75 mph
(120 km/h) or if the speed amounts to
between 50 mph (80 km/h) and
75 mph (120 km/h) for approx. five
minutes the setting "Raised" is can-
celed. The message
Level selec.
canceled
appears in the multifunction
display.
If you do not drive in this speed range,
the "Raised" level remains stored even
if the key is removed from the ignition.
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211 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Comfort-/Sport setting
The AIRMATIC DC (Dual Control) consists
of two components:

Adaptive-Damping-System (ADS)


Suspension style
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driving
conditions. At the same time the suspen-
sion style is set to either sporty or regular.The suspension tuning is set according to:


your driving style


road surface conditions


your choice of suspension style,
"sporty I", "sporty II" or "regular", which
you select using the damping switch.
The selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the key is re-
moved from the starter switch.
1Damping button
2Indicator lamps

Start the engine.
iIn the sporty suspension style the vehi-
cle is lowered 0.6 in (15 mm).
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212 Controls in detailDriving systemsSuspension for sporty driving style I
The setting for sporty driving I is selected
when one indicator lamp2 is illuminated.
Press button1.
One indicator lamp2 comes on.
Suspension for sporty driving style II
The setting for sporty driving II is selected
when two indicator lamps2 are illuminat-
ed.

Press button1 twice.
Two indicator lamps2 come on.
Suspension for regular driving style
The setting for regular driving is selected
when the two indicator lamps2 are off.

Press button1 repeatedly until all indi-
cator lamps go out.
The indicator lamps2 go out.
PARKTRONIC system*
The Parktronic system is an electronic aid
designed to assist the driver during park-
ing maneuvers. It visually and audibly indi-
cates the relative distance between the
vehicle and an obstacle.
The Parktronic system is automatically ac-
tivated when you switch on the ignition
and release the parking brake. The Park-
tronic system deactivates at speeds over
11 mph (18 km/h). At lower speeds the
Parktronic system turns on again.Warning!
G
Parktronic is a supplemental system. It is
not intended to, nor does it replace, the
need for extreme care. The responsibility
during parking and other critical maneuvers
always rests with the driver.
Special attention must be paid to objects
having smooth surfaces or low silhouettes
(e.g. trailer couplings, painted posts, or
street curbs). Such objects may not be de-
tected by the system and can damage the
vehicle.
The operational function of the Parktronic
can be affected by dirty sensors, especially
at times of snow and ice. See "Cleaning the
Parktronic system sensors" (
page 284).
Interference caused by other ultrasonic sig-
nals (e.g. working jackhammers or the air
brakes of trucks) can cause the system to
send erratic indications, and should be tak-
en into consideration.
Warning!
G
Be sure that no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.
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270 OperationTires and wheelsTire pressure changes by approximately
1.5 psi (0.1 bar) per 18°F (10°C) of air
temperature change. Keep this in mind
when checking tire pressure where the
temperature is different from the outside
temperature.
Tire temperature and tire pressure are also
increased while driving, depending on the
driving speed and the tire load.
Check the spare tire periodically for condi-
tion and inflation. Spare tires will age and
become worn over time even if never used,
and thus should be inspected and replaced
when necessary.Checking tire pressure electronically*
The tire inflation pressure monitor only
functions on wheels that are equipped with
the proper electronic sensors. It monitors
the tire inflation pressure, as selected by
the driver, in all four tires. A warning is is-
sued to alert you to a decrease in pressure
in one or more of the tires.
Tire pressure inquiries are made using the
multifunction display (
page 121).The
present inflation pressures are displayed
only after a few minutes’ travel time.
You can select the unit of measurement
used for the tire inflation pressure by
changing the setting in the control system
(
page 136).

Switch on ignition.

Press the k button until the current
inflation pressures for each tire appear
in the multifunction display.
Warning!
G
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflating tires
can result in sudden deflation (blowout) be-
cause they are more likely to become punc-
tured or damaged by road debris, potholes
etc. Follow recommended inflation pres-
sures.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified vehicle capacity weight (as indicat-
ed by the label on the pillar in the driver’s
door opening). Overloading the tires can
overheat them, possibly causing a blowout.
iPossible differences between the read-
ings of a tire pressure gauge of an air
hose, e.g. gas station equipment, and
the vehicle’s control system can occur.
The readings issued by the control sys-
tem are more precise.
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274 OperationWinter drivingBlock heater (Canada only)
The engine is equipped with a block heat-
er.
The electrical cable may be installed at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Snow chains
When driving with snow chains, always se-
lect the raised level of the level control sys-
tem AIRMATIC DC* (
page 209). Other
settings may result in damage to your vehi-
cle.
Snow chains should only be driven on
snow-covered roads at speeds not to ex-
ceed 30 mph (50 km/h). Remove chains
as soon as possible when driving on roads
without snow.Please observe the following guidelines
when using snow chains:


Use of snow chains is not permissible
with all wheel/tire combinations.


Chains should only be used on the rear
wheels. Follow the manufacturer's
mounting instructions.


Only use snow chains that are ap-
proved by Mercedes-Benz. Your autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center will be
glad to advise you on this subject.
iWhen driving with snow chains, you
may wish to deactivate the ESP
(page 76) before setting the vehicle
in motion. This will improve the vehi-
cle’s traction.
!Use of snow chains is not permissible
with tire size 245 / 45 R17
(page 361).
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276 OperationMaintenance
The service indicator is cleared and the
standard display appears in the multi-
function display.
Service term exceeded
If you have exceeded the suggested ser-
vice term, you will see the following mes-
sage in the multifunction display:Service A exceeded by XXXXX miles (km)
Service A exceeded by XXX days
Service A exceeded by X day An authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will
reset the service indicator following a com-
pleted service.
Calling up the service indicator
Switch the ignition on.
The standard display of the control sys-
tem appears (
page 121).

Press buttonk orj on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel until the
FSS PLUS indicator appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
Resetting the service indicator
In the event that a service on your vehicle
is not carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center, you can reset the
service indicator yourself.
Switch the ignition on.
The standard display of the control sys-
tem appears (
page 121).

Press buttonk orj on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel until the
FSS PLUS indicator appears in the mul-
tifunction display.

Press the reset knob (
page 22) for
about five seconds.
iIf the battery is disconnected, the days
of disconnection will not be included in
the count shown by the service indica-
tor. To arrive at the true service dead-
line, you will need to subtract these
days from the days shown in the ser-
vice indicator.
Do not confuse the service indicator
with the engine oil level indicator :.
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