2004 MERCEDES-BENZ E320 SERVICE

256 Controls in detailUseful features
Upgrade signals
The Tele Aid system processes calls using
the following priority:

Automatic emergency – First priority


Manual emergency – Second priority


Roadside assistance – Third priority


Information – Fourth priority
Should a higher priority call be initiated
while you are connected, an upgrade (al-
ternating) tone will be heard, and the ap-
propriate indicator lamp will flash. If
certain information such as vehicle identi-
fication number or customer information is
not available, the operator may need to re-
transmit.
During this time you will hear a beep and
voice contact will be interrupted. Voice
contact will resume once the retransmis-
sion is completed. Once a call is conclud-
ed, a beep will be heard and the respective
indicator lamp will stop flashing. The
COMAND system operation will resume.
!If the indicator lamps do not start flash-
ing after pressing one of the buttons or
remain illuminated (in red) at any time,
the Tele Aid system has detected a
fault or the service is not currently ac-
tive, and may not initiate a call. Visit
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
and have the system checked or con-
tact the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada) as soon
as possible.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash
or the system does not reset, contact
the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Cus-
tomer Service at 1-800-387-0100 in
Canada.iThe indicator lamp in the respective
button flashes until the call is conclud-
ed. Calls can only be terminated by a
Response Center or Customer Assis-
tance Center representative except
Roadside Assistance and Information
calls, which can also be terminated by
pressing buttont on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.

258 Controls in detailUseful featuresStolen vehicle tracking services
In the event your vehicle was stolen:
Report the incident to the police.
The police will issue a numbered inci-
dent report.

Pass this number on to the
Mercedes-Benz Response Center along
with your password issued to you when
you subscribed to the service.
The Response Center will then attempt
to covertly contact the vehicle’s
Tele Aid system. Once the vehicle is lo-
cated, the Response Center will con-
tact the local law enforcement and you.
The vehicle’s location will only be pro-
vided to law enforcement.
Garage door opener
The built-in remote control is capable of
operating up to three separately controlled
devices, for example garage door openers,
gate openers, or other devices compatible
with HomeLink
® or some other systems.
You can program the signal transmitter
buttons.
123Signal transmitter key
4Indicator lamp
5Hand-held transmitter button
6Hand-held remote control trans-
mitter (not part of the vehicle
equipment)
Warning!
G
Before programming the integrated remote
control to a garage door opener or gate op-
erator, make sure that people and objects
are out of the way of the device to prevent
potential harm or damage.
When programming a garage door opener,
the door moves up or down. When program-
ming a gate operator, the gate opens or
closes.
Do not use the integrated remote control
with any garage door opener that lacks safe-
ty stop and reverse features as required by
U.S. federal safety standards (this includes
any garage door opener model manufac-
tured before April 1, 1982). A garage door
that cannot detect an object - signaling the
door to stop and reverse - does not meet
current U.S. federal safety standards.

259 Controls in detail
Useful features
Programming or reprogramming the in-
tegrated remote control
Step 1:
Switch on ignition.
Step 2:

If you have previously programmed an
integrated signal transmitter button
and wish to retain its programming,
proceed to step 3. Otherwise, press
and hold the two outer signal transmit-
ter buttons1 and3 and release
them only when the indicator light be-
gins to flash after approximately 20
seconds (do not hold the button for
longer than 30 seconds). This proce-
dure erases any previous settings for
all three channels and initializes the
memory. If you later wish to program a
second and/or third hand-held trans-
mitter to the remaining two signal
transmitter buttons, do not repeat this
step and begin directly with step 3.
iCertain types of garage door openers
are incompatible with the integrated
opener. If you should experience diffi-
culties with programming the transmit-
ter, contact your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center, or call
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
Center (in the USA only) at
1-800-FOR-MERCedes, or Customer
Service (in Canada) at
1-800-387-0100.
iFor operation in the USA only:
This device complies with Part 15 of
the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to
the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful
interference, and
(2) this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.


267 Operation
Driving instructions
Driving instructions
Drive sensibly – save fuel
Fuel consumption, to a great extent, de-
pends on driving habits and operating con-
ditions.
To save fuel you should:

Keep tires at the recommended infla-
tion pressures.


Remove unnecessary loads.


Remove roof rack when not in use.


Allow engine to warm up under low
load use.


Avoid frequent acceleration and decel-
eration.


Have all maintenance work performed
at the intervals specified in the Service
Booklet and as required by the FSS.
Contact your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Fuel consumption is also increased by driv-
ing in cold weather, in stop-and-go traffic,
on short trips and in hilly country.
Drinking and driving
Pedals
Warning!
G
Drinking and driving and / or taking drugs
and driving are very dangerous combina-
tions. Even a small amount of alcohol or
drugs can affect your reflexes, perceptions
and judgement.
The possibility of a serious or even fatal ac-
cident are greatly increased when you drink
or take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has been drinking or
taking drugs.
Warning!
G
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement.

269 Operation
Driving instructions
To help prevent brake disk corrosion after
driving on wet road surfaces (particularly
salted roads), it is advisable to brake the
vehicle with considerable force prior to
parking. The heat generated serves to dry
the brakes.
If your brake system is normally only sub-
j e c t e d t o m o d e r a t e l o a d s , y o u s h o u l d o c c a -
sionally test the effectiveness of the
brakes by applying above-normal braking
pressure at higher speeds. This will also
enhance the grip of the brake pads. If the parking brake is released and the
brake warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter stays on, there is a malfunction in the
SBC brake system (
page 79) or the
brake fluid level in the reservoir is too low.
Brake pad wear or a leak in the system may
be the reason for low brake fluid in the res-
ervoir.
Have the brake system inspected by quali-
fied technicians immediately. Contact your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
All checks and service work on the brake
system should be carried out by qualified
technicians only. Contact your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Only install brake pads and brake fluid rec-
ommended by Mercedes-Benz.
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
parking, so that the air stream will cool
down the brakes faster.
!Be very careful not to endanger other
road users when you apply the brakes.
Refer to the description of the Brake
Assist System (BAS) (
page 76).
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.
Be certain to read and observe the warning
notices on brake pad replacement
(page 326).!When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the load on the brakes
by shifting into a lower gear to use the
engine’s braking power. This helps pre-
vent overheating of the brakes and re-
duces brake pad wear.

274 OperationDriving instructionsFor more information, see “Winter driving”
(page 295)
Standing water
Passenger compartmentDriving abroad
Abroad, there is an extensive
Mercedes-Benz service network at your
disposal. If you plan to drive into areas
which are not listed in the index of your
Mercedes-Benz Center directory, you
should request pertinent information from
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the windWarning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice.
!Do not drive through flooded areas or
water of unknown depth. Before driving
through water, determine its depth.
Never accelerate before driving into
water. The bow wave could force water
into the engine and auxiliary equip-
ment, thus damaging them.
If you must drive through standing wa-
ter, drive slowly to prevent water from
entering the passenger compartment
or the engine compartment. Water in
these areas could cause damage to
electrical components or wiring of the
engine or transmission, or could result
in water being ingested by the engine
through the air intake causing severe
internal engine damage. Any such dam-
age is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
The trunk is the preferred place to carry ob-
jects.

275 Operation
Driving instructions
Control and operation of radio trans-mitter
COMAND, radio and telephone*Telephones and two-way radios
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.
Refer to the radio transmitter operation in-
structions regarding use of an external an-
tenna.
Catalytic converter
Your Mercedes-Benz is equipped with
monolithic-type catalytic converters, an
important element in conjunction with the
oxygen sensors to achieve substantial con-
trol of the pollutants in the exhaust emis-
sions. Keep your vehicle in proper
operating condition by following our rec-
ommended maintenance instructions as
outlined in your Service Booklet.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle safely.
Only operate the COMAND (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System), radio or tele-
phone
1 if road, weather and traffic
conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approximately
44 feet (approximately 13.5 m) every sec-
ond.
1Observe all legal requirements
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
personal injury.
!To prevent damage to the catalytic con-
verters, use only premium unleaded
gasoline in this vehicle.
Any noticeable irregularities in engine
operation should be repaired promptly.
Otherwise, excessive unburned fuel
may reach the catalytic converter,
causing it to overheat, which could
start a fire.

276 OperationDriving instructions
Emission control
Certain systems of the engine serve to
keep the toxic components of the exhaust
gases within permissible limits required by
law.
These systems, of course, will function
properly only when maintained strictly ac-
cording to factory specifications. Any ad-
justments on the engine should, therefore,
be carried out only by qualified
Mercedes-Benz Center authorized techni-
cians. Engine adjustments should not be
altered in any way. Moreover, the specified
service jobs must be carried out regularly
according to Mercedes-Benz servicing re-
quirements. For details refer to the Service
Booklet.
Warning!
G
As with any vehicle, do not idle, park or op-
erate this vehicle in areas where combusti-
ble 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.
Warning!
G
Inhalation of exhaust gas is hazardous to
your health. All exhaust gas contains carbon
monoxide, and inhaling it can cause uncon-
sciousness and lead to death.
Do not run the engine in confined areas
(such as a garage) which are not properly
ventilated. If you think that exhaust gas
fumes are entering the vehicle while driving,
have the cause determined and corrected
immediately. If you must drive under these
conditions, drive only with at least one win-
dow fully open at all times.