2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 light switch

113 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch (
page 112).
Automatic headlamp mode
The parking lamps, low beam headlamps
and license plate lamps switch on and off
automatically depending on the brightness
of the ambient light.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to U.
Warning!
G
In automatic headlamp mode, the head-
lamps will not be automatically switched on
under foggy conditions. To minimize risk to
you and to others, activate headlamps by
turning exterior lamp switch to
B
.
The driver is responsible for the operation of
the vehicle’s lights at all times. The automat-
ic headlamp feature is only an aid to the driv-
er. Switch on the vehicle lights by hand
when driving or when traffic conditions re-
quire you to do so.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated, the low beam headlamps will
not be switched off automatically.
iFront fog lamps and rear fog lamp can
not be switched on manually with exte-
rior lamp switch in positionU. To
activate the fog lamps, turn exterior
lamp switch to positionB.iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz Cen-
ter.

114 Controls in detailLightingDaytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
In low ambient light conditions the parking
lamps will also switch on.
Canada only
When you shift from a driving position to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(with a three-minute delay).
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
USA only
The high beam headlamps can also be ac-
tivated when driving with the daytime run-
ning lamp mode activated and exterior
lamp switch in positionM.To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see "Setting daytime running lamp
mode" (
page 139).
Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section under "Setting locator lighting"
(
page 139) and "Setting night security il-
lumination" (
page 140).
Switching on front fog lamps

Check that the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
lamp switch lights up.Switching on rear fog lamp

Check that the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out e xt eri or la m p swi tc h to s ec ond
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp† in the
lamp switch lights up.
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 112).
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps
on. Fog lamps should only be used in
conjunction with low beam headlamps.
Consult your State or Province Motor
Vehicle Regulations regarding allow-
able lamp operation.

115 Controls in detail
Lighting
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Switching on high beams
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionB (
page 112).

Push the combination switch in
direction1.
The high beam symbol is illuminated on
the instrument cluster.High beam flasher

Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction2.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be activat-
ed with the ignition switched on or off. It is
activated automatically when an airbag is
deployed.
The switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1Hazard warning flasher switchSwitching on the hazard warning
flasher

Press the hazard warning flasher
switch.
All turn signals will blink.
Switching off the hazard warning
flasher

Press hazard warning flasher switch
again.iWith the hazard warning flasher acti-
vated and the combination switch set
for either left or right turn, only the re-
spective left or right turn signals will
operate when the key in the starter
switch is in position1 or2.

116 Controls in detailLightingInterior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Switch for reading lamp, left
2Switch for rear compartment lighting
3Switch for automatic function
4Switch for interior lighting in front
5Switch for reading lamp, right
6Ambient lighting
7Interior lighting8Reading lamps
Activating automatic control

Press button3.
Interior lamps are switched on in dark-
ness, when

unlocking the vehicle


opening a door


removing the SmartKey from the
starter switch
The interior lamps are switched off follow-
ing an adjustable time delay (
page 141).Deactivating automatic control

Press button3.
The interior lighting remains switched
off, even when

centrally unlocking the vehicle


opening a door


removing the SmartKey from the
starter switch
Manual control
Switching rear interior lights on and off

Press button2.
The lights in the rear passenger com-
partment go on.

Press button2 again.
The lights in the rear passenger com-
partment go out.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after ap-
proximately five minutes when the key
is removed or in starter switch
position0.
An interior lamp switched on manually
does not go out automatically.

117 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching left front reading lamp on and
off
Press button1.
The left reading lamp goes on.

Press button1 again.
The left reading lamp goes out.
Switching right front reading lamp on
and off

Press button5.
The right reading lamp goes on.

Press button5 again.
The right reading lamp goes out.
Door entry lamps
The appropriate door entry lamp switches
on if a door is opened in darkness and if
the interior lighting is switched to the auto-
matic function.
The entry lamp goes out automatically
when the door is closed.
Trunk lamp
The trunk lamp switches on if the trunk lid
is opened.
If you leave the trunk open for an extended
period of time, the trunk lamp will switch
off automatically after approximately ten
minutes.
iIf you turn the key in the starter switch
to position0 or remove the key, the
door entry lamps will remain lit for ap-
proximately five minutes.

118 Controls in detailInstrument cluster
Instrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the "At a glance"
section of this manual (
page 22).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you


open a door


turn on the ignition


press the reset knob (
page 22)


switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 134).
Instrument cluster illumination
Use the reset knob (
page 22) to adjust
the illumination brightness for the instru-
ment cluster.To brighten illumination

Turn the reset knob in the instrument
cluster clockwise (
page 22).
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.
To dim illumination

Turn the reset knob in the instrument
cluster counterclockwise (
page 22).
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.

130 Controls in detailControl system
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see the malfunction message
memory in the display.
No malfunction messages
If no malfunctions have occured, the mes-
sage in the display is:
No MalfunctionMalfunctions have occurred
If malfunctions have occurred, you will see
the number of malfunctions in the display:

Press buttonk orj.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in order. See the "Practical
hints" section for malfunction and
warning messages (
page 295).
Should any malfunctions occur while driv-
ing, the number of malfunctions will reap-
pear in the display when the key in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or re-
moved from the starter switch.
Settings menu
In the
Settings
menu there are two func-
tions:


The function
To reset: Press reset
button for 3 seconds
, with which you
can reset all the settings to the original
factory settings.


A collection of submenus with which
you can make individual settings for
your vehicle.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the
Settings
menu is seen in the
display.
iThe message memory will be cleared
when you turn the key in the starter
switch to position1 or2. You will then
only see high priority malfunctions.
These are highlighted by red back-
ground (
page 295).

132 Controls in detailControl systemThe table below shows what settings can
be changed within the various menus. De-
tailed instructions on making individual
settings can be found on the following pag-
es.INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
TIME/DATE
LIGHTING
VEHICLE
Select temperature display
mode
Set time (hours)
Set daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
Set automatic locking
Select speedometer display
mode
Set time (minutes)
Set locator lighting
Select language
Set date (month)
Ambient lighting
Select display (speed display or
outside temperature) for status
line
Set date (day)
Exterior lamps delayed
switch-off
Tire pressure unit display*
Set date (year)
Interior lighting delayed
switch-off