2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 manual transmission

ContentsTires and wheels ................................ 268
Important guidelines .................... 268
Life of tire ..................................... 269
Direction of rotation ..................... 269
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 269
Rotating wheels............................ 272
Winter driving..................................... 273
Winter tires................................... 273
Block heater (Canada only) .......... 274
Snow chains ................................. 274
Maintenance ...................................... 275
Flexible Service System PLUS (FSS
PLUS) ........................................... 275
Clearing the service indicator....... 275
Service term exceeded................. 276
Calling up the service indicator .... 276
Resetting the service indicator ..... 276
Setting the date for special works 278
Calling up the service data
information ................................... 279
Vehicle care ....................................... 280
Cleaning and care of vehicle ........ 280
Practical hints.................................. 287
What to do if … .................................. 288
Lamps in instrument cluster ........ 288
Lamp in center console ................ 294
Messages in the display ............... 295
Where will I find ...? ........................... 324
First aid kit ................................... 324
Spare wheel ................................. 324
Luggage box ................................. 325
Vehicle tool kit ............................. 326
Unlocking/locking in an emergency .. 327
Unlocking the vehicle ................... 327
Locking the vehicle ...................... 328
Changing batteries ....................... 328
Fuel filler flap emergency release 329
Manually unlocking the
transmission selector lever .......... 330
Opening/closing in an emergency..... 331
Sliding/pop-up roof* or
panorama sliding/pop-up roof* ... 331Replacing bulbs ................................. 332
Bulbs ............................................ 332
Replacing bulbs for front lamps ... 334
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps .... 336
Replacing wiper blades ...................... 337
Replacing wiper blades ................ 337
Flat tire .............................................. 338
Preparing the vehicle ................... 338
Mounting the spare wheel ........... 338
Batteries ............................................ 343
Disconnecting the battery............ 344
Removing the battery................... 344
Charging and reinstalling the
battery ......................................... 344
Reconnecting the batteries .......... 345
Jump starting ..................................... 346
Towing the vehicle ............................. 348
Towing the vehicle ....................... 348
Installing towing eye bolt ............. 350
Fuses ................................................. 352
Fuse box in passenger
compartment ............................... 352

195 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at previously set speed
Saving current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position3.
Cruise control will be canceled. The
last speed set will be stored for later
use.iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
!Vehicles with automatic transmission:
Moving gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear se-
lector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving except to coast
when the vehicle is in danger of skid-
ding (e.g. on icy roads).iVehicles with manual transmission:
The set cruise controlled speed is
switched off when declutching exceeds
four seconds during downshifting a
gear.iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.

254 OperationDriving instructionsTire speed rating
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
"H"-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 130 mph (210 km / h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding the speed rating.
Regardless of the tire rating, local speed
limits should be obeyed. Use prudent driv-
ing speeds appropriate to prevailing condi-
tions.
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 or in
case you have a manual transmission, de-
clutch. Try to keep the vehicle under con-
trol by corrective steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking 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 en-
dangering other drivers on the road.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt-treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible af-
ter driving is resumed while observing the
safety rules in the previous paragraph.
Warning!
G
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the maxi-
mum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire fail-
ure, causing loss of vehicle control and re-
sulting in personal injury and possible death.
iFor more information on driving with
snow chains, see "Snow chains"
(page 274).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.

330 Practical hintsUnlocking/locking in an emergencyManually unlocking the transmission selector lever
In the case of power failure, the transmis-
sion selector lever can be manually un-
locked, e.g. to tow the vehicle.
1Pin
The selector lever can be manually un-
locked from position P in the event of an
electrical failure, e.g. to tow the vehicle.

Open the storage compartment in the
center console (
page 229).

Take out the cup holder*.
Using two fingers in the horizontal slot
at the upper rear side of the cup holder,
lift cup holder upwards to remove.

Hold the cover at a 45° angle.

Insert a suitable object 1 (e.g. a pin)
through the hole and press the pin
downward.

Remove pin 1.
iThe selector lever is locked again when
moving it to positionP.

398 Index
Cigarette lighter 232
Garage door opener 243
Tele Aid* 234
Telephone* 233
V
Vehicle
Individual settings 130, 132
Proper use of 16
Towing 348
Vehicle care
Parktronic* system sensor 284
Vehicle level
Changing 210
Setting 210
Automatic 210
Manual 210
Vehicle level control system
AIRMATIC DC 209
Vehicle tool kit 326
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) 380
Voice recognition system* 380W
Warning lamps see Lamps, indicator and
warning
Warning sounds
Distance warning function* 205
Distronic* 199
Drivers seat belts 61
Parking brake 45
Warranty coverage 357
Weights 365
Wheel change 338
Tightening torque 342
Window curtain airbags 61
Windshield
Defogging 166, 177
Windshield washer fluid
Message in display 311
Wiping with 48Windshield wipers 47
Fast wiper speed 47
Intermittent wiping 47
Replacing wiper blades 337
Single wipe 48
Switching on 47
Wiping with windshield washer
fluid 48
Winter driving
Block heater 274
Snow chains 274
Tires 273
Transmission program mode 155
Wiping
And washing simultaneously 48
Interval 47
With windshield washer fluid 48
X
Xenon headlamps
Bi-Xenon 375