2004 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 engine

175 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel
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.
Item
1
Windshield defroster
2
Rear window defroster
3
Display
4
Residual engine heat utilization
5
Automatic climate control on / off
6
Air distribution, right
7
AC cooling on/off (±)
8
Right side temperature control
9
Air volume (automatic, manual)
a
Left side temperature control
b
Air recirculation
c
Air distribution, left
d
Activated charcoal filter
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents in the
footwell can be very hot or very cold (de-
pending on the set temperature). This may
cause burn or frostbite on unprotected skin
in the immediate area of the air vents. Al-
ways keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the footwell
air vents. If necessary, change the air flow
using the air distribution controls to direct
the air away from the footwell air vents
(page 177).

183 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Air conditioning
The air conditioning 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 button± (
page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button±
comes on.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

Press± again (
page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button±
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or0, or remove it from
the starter switch.

Press buttonT (
page 175).
The indicator lamp on buttonT
comes on.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the± button on the automatic cli-
mate control panel starts to flash, this
indicates that the air conditioning is
losing refrigerant. The compressor has
turned itself off. The air conditioning
cannot be turned on again.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

196 Controls in detailDriving systems1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at last set speedSetting 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.
!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).iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.

197 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
Lift the cruise control lever to
position1 and hold it until the desired
speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress the cruise control lever to
position2 and hold it until the desired
speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1.
Slower

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2.Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)

Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position4.
The cruise control will resume the last
set speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing),
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the engine’s
braking power does not slow the vehi-
cle sufficiently.
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 cause an accident and / or seri-
ous injury to you and others.

205 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Deactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 202).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when:


You set the parking brake.


You drive slower than 25 mph
(40 km/h).


The ESP is active (
page 79) or you
deactivate the ESP.


You move the gear selector lever into
positionN.
A signal will sound. The
DISTRONIC OFF

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately five seconds:
DISTRONIC OFF
.
The last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approx. 25 mph
(40 km/h) by operation of the system. At
that time the driver must apply the brakes in
order to reduce vehicle speed further or
bring it to a stop.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

210 Controls in detailDriving systemsActive Body Control (ABC)
The ABC system automatically selects the
optimum suspension tuning and ride
height for your vehicle.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:

your driving style


road surface conditions


the vehicle loading


your choice of suspension style,
“sporty” or “regular”, which you select
using the ABC switch
The selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.The ABC switch with the indicator lamps is
located in the upper part of the center con-
sole.
1ABC switch
2Indicator lamp

Start the engine.Suspension for sporty driving
The setting for sporty driving is selected
when indicator lamp2 is illuminated.

Press switch1.
Indicator lamp2 comes on.
Suspension for regular driving
The setting for regular driving is selected
when indicator lamp2 is off.

Press switch1.
Indicator lamp2 goes out.

227 Controls in detail
Useful features
Ashtrays
Center console ashtray
1Button for disengaging ashtray
Opening ashtray
Briefly touch cover plate.
The ashtray opens automatically.Removing ashtray insert

Secure vehicle from movement by set-
ting the parking brake. Move the gear
selector lever to positionN.
Now you have more room to remove
the insert.

Push sliding button1 to the right.
The ashtray is disengaged and slides
out a short way.

Remove insert from ashtray frame.
Reinstalling the ashtray insert

Install insert by pushing back into the
frame until it engages.Rear seat ashtray
1Latch
Opening ashtray

Pull at top of cover to open ashtray.
Removing ashtray insert

Pull latch1 to disengage ashtray in-
sert and remove it.
Reinstalling the ashtray insert

Install ashtray insert.

Close the ashtray.
Warning!
G
Remove front ashtray only with vehicle
standing still. Set the parking brake to se-
cure vehicle from movement. Move gear se-
lector lever to positionN. With gear selector
lever in positionN, turn off the engine.

229 Controls in detail
Useful features
Switching on
Switch on ignition.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
should come on.

Turn switch at the tip of stalk in direc-
tion of arrow1.
The steering wheel is heated. Indicator
lamp2 comes on.
Switching off

Turn switch at the tip of stalk in direc-
tion of arrow3.
The steering wheel heating is turned
off. Indicator lamp2 goes out.
Telephone*
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit, should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
The external antenna must be approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Please contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for informa-
tion on the installation of an approved
external antenna. Refer to the radio trans-
mitter operation instructions regarding use
of an external antenna.
iThe steering wheel heating does not
turn off automatically.
Warning!
G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and / or serious
personal injury.
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,
weather and traffic conditions permit. Some
jurisdictions prohibit the driver from using a
cellular telephone while driving a vehicle.
Only operate the COMAND (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System)
1 if road, weather
and traffic conditions permit.
1Observe all legal requirements.