2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 warning light

160 Controls in detailGood visibility
Rear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
Turn the key to starter switch position
1 or 2. Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
press the start/stop button once or
twice.

Press the switch briefly at 1 to raise the
sunshade.

Press the switch briefly at 1 to lower
the sunshade.
Always raise the sunshade fully for its sup-
port against the window frame.
iIf sunlight enters through a side win-
dow, disengage sun visor from
mounting1 and pivot to the side.
Mirror lamp3 will switch off.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
be sure that there is no danger of anyone be-
ing harmed by the raising or lowering proce-
dure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be im-
mediately halted by briefly pressing the up-
per or lower half of the switch.
Briefly press upper or lower half of the
switch again to raise or lower the rear win-
dow sunshade completely.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, and lock your
vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment can cause serious personal injury.

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.

181 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
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 automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press buttonAC
OFF
.
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air conditioner.

PressAC
OFF
again.
The indicator lamp on
theAC
OFF
button goes out.
The air conditioner uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
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.
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.

185 Controls in detail
Power windows
Fully closing windows
Pull switch past resistance point and
release.
The window closes completely.
If the upward movement of the window is
blocked during the closing procedure, the
window will stop and open slightly.Stopping windows

Press or pull respective switch again.Opening and closing the windows with
the Smartkey
The sliding/pop-up roof* will also be
opened or closed when the power windows
are operated with the key (
page 188).

Aim transmitter eye at the front door
handle.
Warning!
G
Driver’s door only:
If within five seconds switch1 is again
pulled past the resistance point and re-
leased, the automatic reversal will not oper-
ate.
iYou can also open or close the win-
dows using the following:

SmartKey (summer opening/con-
venience feature), see below


ButtonO in the control panel of
the climate control (
page 164) or
automatic climate control
(
page 174)


Buttonein the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(page 174)
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or slid-
ing/pop-up roof* if there is the possibility of
anyone being harmed by the opening or
closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger, the procedure can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the control button. To
reverse direction of movement press
button
Œ
for opening or
‹
for clos-
ing.

188 Controls in detailSliding/pop-up roof*Stopping the sliding/pop-up roof
Move the switch in any direction.
If the movement of the sliding/pop-up
roof is blocked during the closing pro-
cedure, the roof will stop and reopen
slightly.Opening and closing the sliding/pop-up
roof with the SmartKey
The power windows will also be opened or
closed when the sliding/pop-up roof is op-
erated with the key (
page 185).

Aim transmitter eye at the front door
handle.
iYou can also open or close the slid-
ing/pop-up roof using the following:

SmartKey, see below


ButtonO in the control panel of
the climate control (
page 164) or
automatic climate control
(
page 174)


Buttonein the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(page 174)
!To avoid damaging the seals, do not
transport any objects with sharp edges
which can stick out of the slid-
ing/pop-up roof.
Open the sliding/pop-up roof only if
the roof is clear of snow or ice.
The sliding/pop-up roof can be opened
or closed manually should an electrical
malfunction occur (
page 331).
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or slid-
ing/pop-up roof if there is the possibility of
anyone being harmed by the opening or
closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger, the procedure can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the remote control button.
To reverse direction of movement
pressŒ for opening or ‹ for closing.

199 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic displays in the speedometer
dial
1Set speed
If Distronic is activated, one or two seg-
ments light up around the set speed.1Segments
If Distronic detects a vehicle directly
ahead, the segments from the speed of the
vehicle ahead to the set speed light up.
If Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision:


The DTR warning lampl in the in-
strument cluster lights up red.


An intermittent warning sounds.

Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See warning
note on the next page.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the red DTR warning lampl
goes out when the necessary distance
to the vehicle ahead is again estab-
lished.
iThe vehicle speed displayed on the
speedometer can briefly vary from the
speed setting on the Distronic system.

203 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a lower speed
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2 (
page 201) to
decrease vehicle speed in increments
of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the
multifunction display for approximately
five seconds (
page 199), and one or
two segments around the stored speed
light up on the speedometer
(
page 199).Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 201).Resetting stored speeds

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 201).
Distronic is set to the last stored
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the rate of de-
celeration is too low.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to preset
speed could endanger yourself and others.

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.