2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 Smartkey

Contents
Introduction.......................................... 9
Product information ................................ 9
Operator’s Manual ............................... 10
Service and warranty information .. 10
Important notice for California
retail buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 11
Maintenance .................................. 12
Roadside Assistance ...................... 12
Change of address or ownership.... 12
Operating your vehicle outside
the USA or Canada......................... 13
Where to find it .................................... 14
Symbols ............................................... 15
Operating safety .................................. 16
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 16
Problems with your vehicle .................. 17
Reporting safety defects...................... 18
Reporting safety defects ................ 18
At a glance.......................................... 19
Cockpit ................................................. 20
Instrument cluster ................................ 22
Multifunction steering wheel ................ 24
Center console ..................................... 25
Upper part ...................................... 25
Lower part ...................................... 26
Overhead control panel ........................ 27
Door control panel................................ 28Getting started................................... 29
Unlocking ............................................. 30
Unlocking with the SmartKey.......... 30
Unlocking with KEYLESS-GO* ......... 32
Adjusting .............................................. 34
Seats............................................... 34
Steering wheel ................................ 37
Mirrors ............................................ 38
Driving .................................................. 40
Fastening the seat belts.................. 40
Starting the engine ......................... 43
Switching on headlamps ................. 46
Turn signals and high beam ............ 46
Windshield wipers ........................... 47Problems while driving.................... 48
Parking and locking .............................. 50
Parking brake ................................. 50
Switching off headlamps................. 51
Turning off the engine ..................... 51
Safety and Security........................... 55
Occupant safety ................................... 56
Airbags ........................................... 57
Seat belts ....................................... 61
Children in the vehicle .................... 65
Blocking of rear door window
operation ........................................ 71
Panic alarm .......................................... 72
Activating........................................ 72
Deactivating.................................... 72
Driving safety systems ......................... 73
ABS ................................................. 73
BAS ................................................. 74
ESP ................................................. 75
The SBC brake system .................... 77
Anti-theft systems ................................ 81
Immobilizer ..................................... 81
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 82
Tow-away alarm .............................. 82

ContentsControls in detail............................... 85
Locking and unlocking ......................... 86
Keys ............................................... 86
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*......... 89
Opening the doors from the inside . 93
Opening the trunk from the inside.. 94
Opening the trunk .......................... 96
Closing the trunk ............................ 96
Trunk lid emergency release .......... 97
Separately locking the trunk .......... 98
Separately unlocking the trunk ...... 99
Automatic central locking .............. 99
Locking and unlocking from
the inside ..................................... 100
Seats.................................................. 102
Easy-entry/exit feature* .............. 102
Head restraints............................. 103
Multicontour seat* ....................... 104
Dynamic driving seat* .................. 105
Heated seats* .............................. 107
Seat ventilation* .......................... 108
Memory function................................ 109
Storing positions into memory ..... 110
Recalling positions from memory . 110
Storing parking position ............... 111Lighting.............................................. 112
Exterior lamp switch..................... 112
Combination switch ..................... 115
Hazard warning flasher ................ 115
Interior lighting............................. 116
Door entry lamps ......................... 117
Trunk lamp ................................... 117
Instrument cluster ............................. 118
Instrument cluster illumination .... 118
Coolant temperature display ........ 119
Trip odometer .............................. 119
Tachometer .................................. 120
Outside temperature indicator ..... 120
Control system .................................. 121
Multifunction display .................... 121
Multifunction steering wheel ........ 122
Menus .......................................... 124
Standard display menu ................ 126
AUDIO menu ................................ 126
NAVI* ........................................... 128
Distronic* menu........................... 128
Malfunction memory menu .......... 129
Settings menu .............................. 130
Trip computer menu ..................... 145
TEL menu* ................................... 147
Automatic transmission ..................... 151One-touch gearshifting ................ 152
Gear ranges ................................. 153
Gear selector lever position ......... 154
Program mode selector switch .... 155
Accelerator position ..................... 156
Emergency operation
(Limp home mode) ....................... 156
Good visibility .................................... 157
Rear view mirror .......................... 157
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 158
Sun visors .................................... 158
Rear window sunshade* .............. 160
Roller sunblind* in the rear doors 161
Climate control .................................. 162
Setting the temperature............... 165
Adjusting air distribution .............. 166
Adjusting air volume .................... 166
Defrosting .................................... 167
Air recirculation mode.................. 167
Rear window defroster ................. 169
Deactivating the climate
control system ............................. 170
Air conditioner ............................. 170
Residual heat and ventilation* ..... 171
Automatic climate control* ............... 172
Setting the temperature............... 176

30 Getting startedUnlockingThe "Getting started" section provides an
overview of the vehicle’s most basic func-
tions. First-time Mercedes-Benz owners
should pay special attention to the infor-
mation given here.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions described here, the "Controls in
detail" section will help you with further in-
formation. The corresponding page refer-
ences are at the end of each segment.
UnlockingUnlocking with the SmartKeySmartKey with remote control 1‹Lock button
2ŠUnlock button for trunk lid
3ŒUnlock button
4ÂPanic button (
page 72)

Press unlock button Πon the key.
All turn signal lamps blink once. The
locking knobs in the doors move up.

Get in the vehicle and insert the key in
the starter switch.
More information can be found in the
"Controls in detail" section (
page 86).

31 Getting started
Unlocking
Starter switch positionsStarter switch0For removing key
1Power supply to some electrical con-
sumers, such as seat adjustment
2Ignition (power supply for all electrical
consumers) and driving position
3Starting position
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the Smart-
Key with KEYLESS-GO* (if so equipped) with
you and lock the vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment may cause serious
personal injury.iThe SmartKey can only be removed
from the starter switch with the gear
selector lever in position P.
!If the key is left in starter switch
position0 for an extended period of
time, it can no longer be turned in the
starter switch.

Remove the key from the starter
switch and reinsert.
If the key can still not be turned, the
battery may not be sufficiently
charged.

Check the battery and charge it
if necessary (
page 266).

Get a jump start (
page 346).
To prevent accelerated battery dis-
charge or a completely discharged bat-
tery, always remove the key from the
starter switch.

32 Getting startedUnlockingUnlocking with KEYLESS-GO*
Your vehicle comes supplied with two
SmartKeys with remote controls and a re-
movable mechanical key. The locking tabs
for the mechanical key portion of the two
keys are a different color to help distin-
guish each key unit.
The function of the SmartKey overrules the
KEYLESS-GO function.
If you have the KEYLESS-GO function, your
vehicle checks whether the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO is valid when you grasp the
door handle. If your key is valid, the doors
will unlock, and you can open them.

Grasp the door handle.
The turn signal lamps blink once. The
locking knobs on the doors move up.
Pressing the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton on the selector lever corresponds to
turning the key to the various starter
switch positions.
iTo unlock the vehicle, the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO must be outside the
vehicle, no further than approx. 3 feet
(1 meter) away from the door. Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle always take the
key and the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not leave
children unattended in the vehicle, or with
access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsuper-
vised use of vehicle equipment may cause
serious personal injury.

44 Getting startedDrivingStarting with the key
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position3 and hold until the engine
starts (
page 31).

Depress the brake pedal.
The selector lever lock is released.
For information on turning off the engine
with the key, see “Turning off the engine”
(
page 51).
Starting with KEYLESS-GO*
You can start your vehicle without a key
using the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
on the gear selector lever.1KEYLESS-GO start/stop button

Depress the brake pedal during the
starting procedure. Do not depress ac-
celerator.
The selector lever lock is released.

Press KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button1 once.
The engine starts automatically.
For information on turning off the engine
with KEYLESS-GO, see “Turning off with
KEYLESS-GO*” (
page 53).Starting difficulties
If the engine does not start as described,
carry out the following steps:

If you are starting the engine with the
key, turn key in starter switch to
position0 and repeat starting proce-
dure.

If you are starting the engine with
KEYLESS-GO*: Close any doors that
may be open to allow for better detec-
tion of the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.
Or:
Start the engine with the key as radio
signals from another source may be in-
terfering with the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*.

Repeat the starting procedure
(page 43). Remember that extended
starting attempts can drain the battery.
iYou can also use the "touch-start" func-
tion. Turn the key to position3 and re-
lease it again immediately. The engine
then starts automatically.
!Ensure that the brake pedal is de-
pressed when starting the engine.

50 Getting startedParking and locking
Parking and lockingYou have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Parking brake
2Release handle
Step firmly on parking brake1.
When the engine is running, the indica-
tor lamp ; (USA only) or 3
(Canada only) in the instrument cluster
will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
Wait until the vehicle is stationary before re-
moving the key from the starter switch. The
vehicle cannot be steered when the key is
removed.Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to stop or steer the vehi-
cle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the selector lever to positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheel towards the road curb.


Turn the key to starter switch position0
and remove, or press start- / stop button
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*).


Take the key or the SmartKey with KEY-
LESS-GO* (if so equipped) and lock ve-
hicle when leaving.

52 Getting startedParking and lockingTurning off with the key
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position0 and remove it.
The immobilizer is activated.

Press the seat belt release button
(page 41).

After exiting the vehicle press the lock
button‹ on the key (
page 30).
The locking knobs on the doors move
down. The turn signal indicators light
up briefly.More information can be found in the
"Controls in detail" section (
page 86).
iThe SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* (if so equipped) can only
be removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP.!With the SmartKey removed and the
driver’s door open, a warning sounds if
the vehicle’s exterior lamps are not
switched off.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
Before closing doors, ensure that there is no
possibility of someone getting caught in a
door during closing.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
key from the starter switch and lock your ve-
hicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle may
cause serious personal injury.