2003 MERCEDES-BENZ E500 separate manual

14 IntroductionWhere to find it
Where to find itThis Operator’s Manual is designed to pro-
vide comprehensive support information
for you, the vehicle operator. For you to
find information quickly each section has
its own reference color:At a glance
Here you will find an overview of all the
controls that can be operated from the
driver’s seat.Getting started
Here you will find all the information you
need for your first drive. You should read
this section first if this is your first
Mercedes-Benz vehicle or if you are rent-
ing or borrowing this vehicle.Safety and Security
Here you will find descriptions of the safety
features of your vehicle.
Controls in detail
Here you will find detailed information
about the equipment installed in your vehi-
cle. This section expands on the "Getting
started" section and also describes techni-
cal innovations. If you are already familiar
with the basic functions of your vehicle,
this section will be of particular interest to
you.Operation
Here you will find all the information you
need for the proper operation of your vehi-
cle.Practical hints
This section provides fast assistance for
dealing with problems you may encounter.
Technical data
All important technical data for your vehi-
cle can be found in this section.Indexes
The glossary provides explanations of the
most important technical terms.
The table of contents and the index are de-
signed to help you find information quickly
and easily.
The following publications are part of your
vehicle documentation:

this Operator’s Manual


the Service Booklet
Separate operating instructions will be
provided as required depending on the
equipment options installed in your vehi-
cle.

128 Controls in detailControl systemOperate the cassette player
Turn on the radio and select the ca-
sette player, see separate operating in-
structions.
Vehicles with COMAND*: Refer to sep-
arate operating instructions.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the settings for the cassette cur-
rently being played are shown in the
display.
1Current side

Press buttonj to fast forward to
the next track.

Press buttonk to rewind the cas-
sette to the beginning of the current
track.
NAVI*
Refer to separate COMAND* operating in-
structions.
Distronic* menu
Use the Distronic menu to display the cur-
rent settings for your Distronic system.
What information is shown in the display
depends on whether the Distronic system
is active or inactive.
Please refer to the "Driving systems" sec-
tion of this manual (
page 197) for in-
structions on how to activate Distronic.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see one of the following two
pictures in the display.
iTo select a CD from the magazine,
press a number on the audio system or
the COMAND* system key pad located
in the center dashboard.
iTo select the reverse side of the tape,
press button below track number on
the audio system display, or enter re-
quest on the COMAND* system locat-
ed in the center dashboard.

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.

234 Controls in detailUseful features
You can take and place telephone calls us-
ing theí andì buttons on the
steering wheel. To carry out other tele-
phone functions, use the control system
(page 121).
See separate operating manual for instruc-
tions on how to use the telephone.
Tele Aid*
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his /her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call.
If you choose to use the telephone
1 while
driving, please use the hands-free device
and only use the telephone when road and
traffic conditions permit. Some jurisdictions
prohibit the driver from using a cellular tele-
phone while driving a vehicle.
Only operate the COMAND* (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System)
1 if road and traf-
fic conditions permit.
1Observe all legal requirements.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approx. 44 feet (ap-
proximately 13.5 m) every second.Warning!
G
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle. Whether or not prohibited by law, for
safety reasons, the driver should not use the
cellular telephone while the vehicle is in mo-
tion.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location before an-
swering or placing a call.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid sys-
tem may only be performed by com-
pleting the subscriber agreement and
placing an acquaintance call using the
SOS button. Failure to complete either
of these steps will result in a system
that is not activated. If the system is
not activated, the indicator lamp in the
SOS button stays on after turning the
key in the starter switch to position2
and the message
Tele Aid – not ac-
tivated
will be shown in the multifunc-
tion display for approx. 10 seconds.
If you have any questions regarding ac-
tivation, please call the Response Cen-
ter at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).

390 Index
Instruments 118, 119
Interior 116
Locator lighting 114
Low beam 112
Manual headlamp mode 113
Night security illumination 114
Parking lamps 112
Rear fog lamp 114
Settings (control system) 138
Trunk lamp 117
Limiting the gear range 153
Limp Home Mode 156
Loading 216
Cargo tie-down rings 225
Instructions 224
Roof rack 216
Ski sack* 216
Split rear bench seat 219
Locator lighting 114
Setting 139
Lock button 377
Door handle (KEYLESS-GO*) 53
Locking 50, 86
Automatic while driving 99
Centrally from inside 100
Fuel filler flap 259Global with KEYLESS-GO* 91
Global, SmartKey 87
Separately the trunk 98
Vehicle with KEYLESS-GO* 92
Loss of keys 89, 93
Low beam headlamps 332
Messages in display 313
M
Main Dimensions 364
Maintenance 12
Malfunction
Displaying 130
Malfunction memory 129
Calling up 129
Clearing 130
Manual headlamp mode 113
Manual operations
Interior lighting control 116
Locking the trunk 98
Unlocking the driver’s door 327
MB Tex upholstery
Cleaning 285
Mechanical key 327
Memory function 109, 377
Recalling positions from
memory 110Storing exterior rear view mirror park-
ing positions 111
Storing key dependent settings 110
Menus 124
AUDIO 126
Control system 378
Distronic* 128, 200
In control system 124, 125
Malfunction memory 129
Settings menu 130
Standard display 126
Submenus 123
TEL* 147
Trip computer 145
Miles/kilometers in speedometer
Setting 134
Mirrors
Adjusting 38
Automatic antiglare for rear view
mirror 157
Automatic antiglare* for inside
mirror 157
Exterior rear view mirror 39
Exterior rear view mirror parking
positions 144, 158
Inside rear view mirror 38