2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 windshield

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.

166 Controls in detailClimate controlAdjusting air distribution
Adjusting manually
Use air distribution control5 (
page 164)
to adjust the air distribution.

Press air distribution rocker switch5
(page 164).
The indicator lamp on the U button
goes out.The current air distribution appears in
the air distribution display10.
Adjusting automatically

Press the U button.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air distribution and vol-
ume is adjusted automatically.
Adjusting center air outlets:
The thumbwheels for left2 and right6
center air outlets are automatically posi-
tioned for optimum interior airflow. In this
position, center air outlet4 and swiveling
left and right center outlets3 and5 are ful-
ly opened.Heating:
Only in manual mode is it possible to lower
the temperature in the headroom by regu-
lating the cold-airflow using thumbwheel7
(
page 162).
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on.

Press the U button.
Adjusting air volume
Adjusting manually
Five blower speeds are available.
Press˜ to decrease orQ to in-
crease air volume to the desired level.
The
Auto
display disappears and the
automatic mode is switched off. The
selected blower speed is shown in the
display.
Symbol
Function
a
Directs air through the
center, side and rear
passenger compartment
air outlets
Z
Directs air to the win-
dows
X
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
Y
Directs air to the foot-
wells

174 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*
1
Air distribution, left
2
Windshield defroster
3
Temperature rocker switch, left
4
Display
5
Temperature rocker switch, right
6
Rear window defroster
7
Air distribution, right
8
Automatic air distribution, right and
blower speed
9
Activated charcoal filter
10
Rear air-conditioning remote con-
trol
11
Increase airflow
12
On/off
13
Decrease airflow
14
Economy mode (no cooling)
Residual heat
15
Air recirculation button
16
Automatic air distribution, left and
blower speed

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.

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.

177 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Adjusting air distribution
Adjusting manually
Turn air distribution controls1 and7
(page 174) to manually adjust to the
desired air distribution on each side of
the passenger compartment.
The indicator lamp in the U button
goes out.The following pages use symbol set 1 to
explain the operation of the air distribution
control. Please see above chart for refer-
ence to the corresponding function of sym-
bol set 2 should your vehicle show those
on the air distribution control switch.
Adjusting automatically

Press left or right U button again.
The indicator lamp in the U button
illuminates. The air distribution is ad-
justed automatically
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on.

Press the left or right U button.
Adjusting air volume
Adjusting manually
Nine blower speeds are available.
Press˜ to decrease or Q to in-
crease air volume to the desired level.
The
Auto
display disappears and the
automatic mode is switched off. The
selected blower speed is shown in the
display.
Adjusting automatically

Press left or right U button.
The air volume is adjusted automatical-
ly.
Maximum cooling MAX COOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set toU and there is a high need for
cooling, the display "MAX COOL" appears
in the front and rear display.
Symbol
Function
Set 1
Set 2
Õ
a
Directs air through the
center, side and rear
passenger compartment
air outlets
Ô
Z
Directs air to the win-
dows
Ò
X
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
Ó
Y
Directs air to the foot-
wells

260 OperationAt the gas station
Check regularly and before a long trip
1Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system
For more information on refilling the
reservoir, see the "Operation" section
(
page 267).
2Brake fluid
More information on brake fluid can be
found in the "Technical data" section
(page 368).
3Coolant level
More information on the coolant level
can be found in the "Operation" section
(page 264).Engine oil level
More information on engine oil can be
found in the "Operation" section
(
page 262).
See also "Opening hood" (
page 261).
Vehicle lighting
Check function and cleanliness. For more
information on replacing light bulbs, see
the "Practical hints" section (page 332).
See also the section on the exterior lamp
switch (
page 112).
Tire inflation pressure
More information on tire inflation pressure
can be found in the "Operation" section
(
page 269).
iUse only premium unleaded gasoline
with a minimum Posted Octane Rating
of 91 (average of 96 RON / 86 MON).
Information on gasoline quality can
normally be found on the fuel pump.
More information on gasoline can be
found in the Factory Approved Service
Products Pamphlet.iLeaving the engine running and the fuel
cap open can cause the ?lamp to
illuminate.

261 Operation
Engine compartment
Engine compartment
Hood
Opening
1Hood release

Pull lever1 downwards.
The hood is unlocked and handle2 will
extend out of the radiator grille.
2Handle for opening the hood

Pull handle2 to its stop out of radiator
grille.

Pull up on the hood (do not pull up on
the handle) and then release it.
The hood will be automatically held
open at shoulder height by gas-filled
struts.
Warning!
G
Do not pull the release lever while the vehi-
cle is in motion. Otherwise the hood could
be forced open by passing air flow.
!To avoid damage to the windshield wip-
ers or hood, never open the hood if the
wiper arms are folded forward away
from the windshield.
Warning!
G
To help prevent personal injury, stay clear of
moving parts when the hood is open and the
engine is running. Be sure the hood is prop-
erly closed before driving. When closing the
hood, use extreme caution not to catch
hands or fingers.
The radiator fan may continue to run for ap-
proximately 30 seconds or even restart af-
ter the engine has been turned off. Stay
clear from fan blades.