2004 MERCEDES-BENZ E500 temperature

182 Controls in detailClimate controlAir 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 climate
control system. The air in the vehicle will
then no longer be cooled or dehumidified.
Press button± (
page 176).
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 176).
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 position0or1, or remove it from
the starter switch.

Press buttonT (
page 176).
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 air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioning is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

183 Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating
Press buttonT (
page 176).
The indicator lamp on buttonT
goes out.
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the battery voltage drops
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting 1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.

185 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Item
1
Automatic climate control panel
2
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
3
Left center air vent, adjustable
4
Air vent, fixed
5
Right center air vent, adjustable
6
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
7
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for adding cold air
8
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for side air vent
9
Side defroster vent, fixed
a
Side air vent, adjustable
Item
1
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for side air vent
2
Side air vent, adjustable
Item
1
Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2
Right rear center air vent, adjust-
able
3
Air volume control for right rear
center air vent
4
Temperature rocker switch, right
5
Display
6
Temperature rocker switch, left
7
Air volume control for left rear cen-
ter air vent

186 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*
Item
1
Air distribution, left
2
Defrosting
3
Temperature rocker switch, left
4
Display
5
Temperature rocker switch, right
6
Rear window defroster
Item
7
Air distribution, right
8
Air distribution and air volume, right
(automatic, manual)
9
Activated charcoal filter
a
Rear air-conditioning remote con-
trol
b
Increase air volume
Item
c
Automatic climate control on / off
d
Decrease air volume
e
AC cooling on / off (AC
OFF
)
Residual heat / ventilation (REST)
f
Air recirculation
g
Air distribution and air volume, left
(automatic, manual)

187 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 SmartKey and stored in
memory (
page 152).
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. You can operate the climate
control system in either the automatic or
manual mode.
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 to 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
(page 186) to direct the air away from the
footwell air vents.

188 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 AC
OFF
mode is selected
(
page 186).
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).
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.
iSevere conditions (e.g. strong air pollu-
tion) may require replacement of the fil-
ter before its scheduled interval. A
clogged filter will reduce the air volume
to the interior.
If 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.

189 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
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
thumbwheel7 (
page 184) in the dash-
board.
Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls1 and7
(page 176) to separately adjust the air
distribution on each side of the passenger
compartment. The following symbols are
found on the controls:Adjusting manually

Press left or rightU.
The indicator lamp in theU button
goes out.

Turn air distribution controls on each
side of the passenger compartment to
the desired symbol.
Adjusting automatically

Press left or rightU button again.
The indicator lamp in theU button
illuminates. The air distribution is ad-
justed automatically.
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on.

Press the left or rightU button.
Symbol
Function
a
Directs air through the center,
side and rear passenger com-
partment air vents
Z
Directs air to the windows
X
Directs air into the entire vehi-
cle interior
Y
Directs air to the footwells

191 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.Activating

Press buttonO.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.iIf you keep buttonO pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof* or panorama sliding / pop-up
roof* or will close.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated
automatically:

at high outside temperatures


if the concentration of carbon mon-
oxide and nitrogen oxide in the out-
side air increases, for example in a
tunnel (charcoal filter activated
(page 192))
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing (page 182) or the outside
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the
air recirculation mode will not switch
on automatically.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows and
sliding / pop-up roof* or panorama
sliding / pop-up roof* if there is the possibil-
ity of anyone being harmed by the opening
or closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger:
Vehicles with sliding/pop-up roof: The pro-
cedure for the windows can be immediately
halted by pressing or pulling the respective
window switch. The procedure for the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be immediately halted
by moving the switch for the sliding/pop-up
roof in any direction.
The closing of the side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be reversed by again
pressing and holding theO button.
Vehicles with panorama sliding/pop-up
roof: The procedure for the windows and
panorama sliding/pop-up roof can be imme-
diately halted by releasing theO button.