2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 4MATIC WAGON ESP

196 Tele Aid
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Remote door unlock
In the case you have your vehicle locked unintentionally
(e.g. key inside vehicle), and no other key is available,
contact the Mercedes-Benz Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or 1-888-923-8367 (in
Canada). You will be asked to provide your password
which you provided when you completed the subscriber
agreement.
Then return to your vehicle and pull tailgate recessed
handle for minimum of 20 seconds until the SOS button
is flashing. The message “EMERGENCY CALL -CALL
CONNECTED” appears in the multifunction display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehicle via
Internet using the ID and password sent to you shortly
after the completion of your Acquaintance Call.
The Response Center will then unlock your vehicle with
the remote door unlocking feature.Notes:
The remote door unlock feature is available if the
relevant cellular phone network is available.
The SOS button will flash and the message
“EMERGENCY CALL – CALL CONNECTED” will appear
in the multifunction display to indicate receipt of the
door unlock command.
Once the vehicle is unlocked, a Response Center
specialist will attempt to establish voice contact with the
vehicle occupants.
If the tailgate recessed handle was pulled for more than
20 seconds before door unlock authorization was
received by the Response Center, you must wait
15 minutes before pulling the tailgate recessed handle
again.

197 Tele Aid
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Stolen vehicle tracking services
In the event your vehicle was stolen, report the incident
to the police who will issue a numbered incident report.
Pass this number on to the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center.
The Response Center will then attempt to covertly
contact the vehicle’s Tele Aid system. Once the vehicle
is located, the Response Center will contact the local
Law Enforcement and you. The vehicle’s location will
only be provided to Law Enforcement.

200 Steering lock
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Steering lock
0The electronic key can be withdrawn in this position
only. The steering is locked when the electronic key
is removed from the steering lock. If necessary,
move steering wheel slightly to allow the locking
mechanism to engage. The electronic key can only
be removed with the selector lever in position “P”.
After removing the electronic key or with the
electronic key in steering lock position 0, the
selector lever is locked in position “P”.1Steering is unlocked. (If necessary, move steering
wheel slightly to allow the electronic key to be
turned clockwise to position 1.)
Most electrical consumers can be operated. For
detailed information see respective subjects.
Gear selector lever is unlocked.
To move the selector lever out of position “P”, firmly
depress the service brake pedal.
2Driving position.
3Starting position.
See page 202 for instructions on starting and
stopping the engine.
P82.00-2073-26
Wa r n i n g !
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
electronic key from the steering lock, and lock the
vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in the
vehicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Unsupervised use of vehicle equipment may cause
an accident and/or serious personal injury.

204 Automatic transmission
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Driving
The selector lever is automatically locked while in
position “P”. To move the selector lever out of position
“P”, the service brake pedal must be firmly depressed
before the shift lock will release.
Shift selector lever to the desired position only when the
engine is idling normally and the service brake is
applied. Do not release the brake until ready to drive.
The vehicle may otherwise start creeping when the
selector lever is in drive or reverse position.Important!
After selecting any driving position from “N” or “P”,
wait a moment to allow the gear to fully engage before
accelerating, especially when the engine is cold.
Accelerator position
Partial throttle = early upshifting = normal acceleration
Full throttle = later upshifting = rapid acceleration
Kickdown (depressing the accelerator beyond full
throttle) = downshifting to a lower gear = maximum
acceleration. Once the desired speed is attained, ease up
on the accelerator — the transmission shifts up again.
Wa r n i n g !
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out of “P”
or “N” if the engine speed is higher than idle speed.
If your foot is not firmly on the brake pedal, the
vehicle could accelerate quickly forward or in
reverse. You could lose control of the vehicle and
hit someone or something. Only shift into gear
when the engine is idling normally and when your
right foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

215 Driving instructions
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Install only brake pads and brake fluid recommended by
Mercedes-Benz.
Caution!
When driving down long and steep grades, relieve the
load on the brakes by shifting into a lower gear to use
the engine’s braking power. This helps prevent
overheating of the brakes and reduces brake pad wear.
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive on for some
time, rather than immediately parking, so the air stream
will cool down the brakes faster.Driving off
Apply the service brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only when the road
is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not place full load on
the engine until the operating temperature has been
reached.
When starting off on a slippery surface, do not allow one
drive wheel to spin for an extended period with the ESP
switched off. Doing so may cause serious damage to the
drive train which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Wa r n i n g !
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake fluid
is used, the braking properties of the vehicle can be
degraded to an extent that safe braking is
substantially impaired. This could result in an
accident.

218 Driving instructions
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Tire traction
The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or icy road is
always lower than on a dry road.
You should pay particular attention to the condition of
the road whenever the outside temperatures are close to
the freezing point.
We recommend M+S rated radial-ply tires for the winter
season for all four wheels to insure normal balanced
handling characteristics. On packed snow, they can
reduce your stopping distance as compared with
summer tires. Stopping distance, however, is still
considerably greater than when the road is not snow or
ice covered.Tire speed rating
Your vehicle is factory equipped with “H”-rated tires,
which have a speed rating of 130 mph (210 km / h).
Despite the tire rating, local speed limits should be
obeyed. Use prudent driving speeds appropriate to
prevailing conditions.
An electronic speed limiter prevents your vehicle from
exceeding the speed rating.
Wa r n i n g !
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction will be
substantially reduced. Under such weather
conditions, drive, steer and brake with extreme
caution.
Wa r n i n g !
Even when permitted by law, never operate a
vehicle at speeds greater than the maximum speed
rating of the tires.Exceeding the maximum speed for which tires are
rated can lead to sudden tire failure causing loss of
vehicle control and resulting in personal injury
and possible death.

219 Driving instructions
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index Snow chains
Use only snow chains that are tested and recommended
by Mercedes-Benz. Your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center will be glad to advise you on this subject.
Chains should only be used on the rear wheels. Follow
the manufacturer’s mounting instructions.
Snow chains should only be driven on snow covered
roads at speeds not to exceed 30 mph (50 km / h).
Remove chains as soon as possible when driving on
roads without snow.
When driving with snow chains, press the ESP control
switch to OFF, see page 232.Winter 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 position “N”. Try to keep the vehicle
under control by corrective steering action.
Road salts and chemicals can adversely affect braking
efficiency. Increased pedal force may become necessary
to produce the normal brake 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. A prerequisite is, however, that this be done
without endangering other drivers on the road.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven on salt treated
roads, the braking efficiency should be tested as soon as
possible after driving is resumed while observing the
safety rules in the previous paragraph.

220 Driving instructions
Te ch n i c a l
data Instruments
and controlsOperationDrivingInstrument
cluster displayPractical hints Car care Index
Winter driving
Have your vehicle winterized at your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center before the onset of winter.
•Check engine coolant anticorrosion / antifreeze
concentration.
•Additive for the windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system: Add MB Concentrate “S” to a
premixed windshield washer solvent / antifreeze
which is formulated for below freezing
temperatures, see page 276.•Test battery: Battery capacity drops with decreasing
ambient temperature. A well charged battery helps
to ensure that the engine can be started, even at low
ambient temperatures.
•Tires: We recommend M+S rated radial-ply tires on
all four wheels for the winter season. Observe
permissible maximum speed for M+S rated
radial-ply tires and the legal speed limit.
Note:
In winter operation, the maximum effectiveness of the
antilock brake system (ABS) or electronic stability
program (ESP) can only be achieved with M+S rated
radial-ply tires and / or snow chains recommended by
Mercedes-Benz. Snow chains maximize performance.
Wa r n i n 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 engine running.
O t h e rw i s e , d e a d ly c a r b o n m on ox i d e ( CO ) ga s e s m ay
enter vehicle interior resulting in unconsciousness
and death.To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation, open a
window slightly on the side of the vehicle not
facing the wind.