2004 MERCEDES-BENZ E500 Driving

166 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionDownshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in theD-direction
(page 159).
or

Press button1 on the left side of the
steering wheel (
page 162).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in theD+direction
(page 159).
or

Press button2 on the right side of the
steering wheel (
page 162).
The transmission shifts to the next
higher gear.Kickdown
The kickdown can also be used for
maximum acceleration when driving in the
manual program mode.

Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts to a lower gear.

Shift up once the desired speed has
been reached.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.
iWhen driving at full throttle, the trans-
mission shifts to the next higher gear
when maximum engine speed has been
reached.
When you brake or stop, the transmis-
sion shifts down to a gear from which
you can easily accelerate or take off.

169 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 118).

Make sure the
Mirror adjustment
parking aid function in the
Conve-
nience
submenu of the control system
is switched on (
page 152).

Switch on ignition (if not already on).

Press button2 for the passenger-side
exterior rear view mirror.

Place the gear selector lever in reverse
gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:


ten seconds after you put the gear se-
lector lever out of positionR


immediately once your vehicle exceeds
a speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)


immediately when you press button1
for driver’s side mirror.
Windshield wipers
Information on the windshield wipers is
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 48).
A rain sensor automatically controls the
windshield wipers depending on how wet
the windshield is.

Switch on ignition.

Set the wiper switch to positionI
(page 48).
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are automatically controlled by the
rain sensor.
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when
the vehicle is at a standstill and a front
door is opened.

170 Controls in detailGood visibility
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on ignition.

Press button1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.
Information on filling up the washer reser-
voir can be found in the “Operation” sec-
tion (page 288).
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visors down when you expe-
rience glare.
!Do not leave windshield wipers in inter-
mittent setting when the vehicle is tak-
en to an automatic car wash or during
windshield cleaning. Wipers will oper-
ate in the presence of water sprayed on
the windshield, and wipers may be
damaged as a result.
The switch should not be left in inter-
mittent setting as the wipers will wipe
the windshield once every time the en-
gine is started. Dust that accumulates
on the windshield might scratch the
glass and / or damage the wiper blades
when wiping occurs on a dry wind-
shield.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.

177 Controls in detail
Climate control
The climate control is operational whenev-
er the engine is running. You can operate
the climate control system in either the au-
tomatic or manual mode. The system cools
or heats the interior depending on the se-
lected interior temperature and the cur-
rent outside temperature.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 182).
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 burns 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 176) to direct the air away from the
footwell air vents.
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.

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.

199 Controls in detail
Power windows
Stopping windows
Press or pull respective switch again.
Opening and closing the windows with
the SmartKey
The sliding / pop-up roof* (
page 202) or
panorama sliding / pop-up roof*
(
page 208) will also be opened or closed
when the power windows are operated
with the SmartKey.

Aim transmitter eye at the front door
handle.
Opening (Summer opening feature)
If the weather is warm, you can ventilate
the vehicle before driving off by simulta-
neously:


opening the sliding/pop-up roof


opening the side windows


switching on the seat ventilation
To do so, follow the instructions below:

Press and hold button Πafter un-
locking the vehicle.
The windows and sliding / pop-up roof
or panorama sliding/pop-up roof* be-
gin to open after approximately one
second.

Release the Πbutton to stop proce-
dure.Closing (Convenience feature)

Press and hold button ‹ after lock-
ing the vehicle.
The windows and sliding / pop-up roof
or panorama sliding/pop-up roof* be-
gin to close after approximately one
second.

Release the ‹ button to stop proce-
dure.
Make sure all side windows and the
sliding / pop-up roof or panorama slid-
ing/pop-up roof* are properly closed be-
fore leaving the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or sliding /
pop-up roof or panorama sliding/pop-up
roof* if there is the possibility of anyone be-
ing harmed by the opening or closing proce-
dure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the procedure can be imme-
diately halted by releasing the button on the
SmartKey. To reverse direction of move-
ment, press Œ for opening or ‹ for
closing.

203 Controls in detail
Sliding / pop-up roof*
Opening (Summer opening feature)
If the weather is warm, you can ventilate
the vehicle before driving off by simulta-
neously:

opening the sliding/pop-up roof


opening the side windows


switching on the seat ventilation*
To do so, follow the instructions below:

Press and hold buttonΠafter un-
locking the vehicle.
The windows and sliding / pop-up roof
begin to open after approximately
one second.

Release transmit button to interrupt
procedure.Closing (Convenience feature)

Press and hold button‹ after lock-
ing the vehicle.
The windows and sliding / pop-up roof
begin to close after approximately
one second.

Release the ‹ button to stop proce-
dure.
Make sure all side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof are properly closed before
leaving the vehicle.
Closing the sliding / pop-up roof with
KEYLESS-GO*
The power windows (
page 200) will also
be closed when you operate the
sliding / pop-up roof with KEYLESS-GO.

Press and hold lock button at door
(page 54) until the side windows and
the sliding / pop-up roof are closed.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows and the
sliding / pop-up roof, be sure that there is no
danger of anyone being harmed by the clos-
ing procedure.
The sliding/pop-up roof will not automati-
cally reopen if blocked during convenience
closing.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:

Release the lock button.


Pull on the door handle and hold firmly.
The side windows and the
sliding / pop-up roof will open for as long
as the door handle is held but the door
not opened.

208 Controls in detailPanorama sliding / pop-up roof*Opening and closing panorama
sliding / pop-up roof with the SmartKey
The power windows (
page 197) will also
be opened or closed when the panorama
sliding / pop-up roof is operated with the
SmartKey.

Aim transmitter eye at the driver’s door
handle.Opening (Summer opening feature)
If the weather is warm, you can ventilate
the vehicle before driving off by simulta-
neously:


opening the sliding/pop-up roof


opening the side windows


switching on the seat ventilation*
If roller sunblinds are closed:

Press and hold buttonΠafter un-
locking the vehicle.
The windows and roller sunblinds begin
to open after approximately
one second.

Press and hold buttonΠagain.
The panorama sliding / pop-up roof tilts
and opens.If roller sunblinds are already open:

Press and hold buttonΠafter un-
locking the vehicle.
The windows move down and the pan-
orama sliding / pop-up roof tilts and
opens after approximately one second.

Release transmit button to stop proce-
dure.
Closing (Convenience feature)

Press and hold button ‹ after lock-
ing the vehicle.
The windows and panorama
sliding/pop-up roof begin to close after
approximately one second.

Release the ‹ button to stop proce-
dure.
Make sure all side windows and the pan-
orama sliding/pop-up roof are properly
closed before leaving the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or panorama
sliding / pop-up roof if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the opening or
closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger, the procedure can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the remote control button.
To reverse direction of movement
pressŒ for opening or ‹ for closing.