2004 MERCEDES-BENZ E55AMG controls in detai

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

190 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Adjusting air volume
Adjusting manually
Nine blower speeds are available.
Press
to decrease or Q to in-
crease air volume to the desired level.
The
Auto
display disappears and the
automatic mode is switched off. The
selected blower speed is shown in the
display.
Adjusting automatically

Press left or right U button.
The air volume is adjusted automatical-
ly.
Maximum cooling MAX COOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the airflow volume control are
set toU and there is a high need for
cooling, the display “MAX COOL” appears
in the front and rear display.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
sliding / pop-up roof* or panorama
sliding / pop-up roof* are closed).DefrostingActivating

Press buttonP.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
or
Switch off air recirculation, if selected.

Press buttonO.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Adjust side air vents upwards.
Deactivating

Press buttonP.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.

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.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Deactivating
Press buttonO.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:


after five minutes if the outside temper-
ature is below approximately 41°F
(5°C)


after five minutes if the air conditioning
is turned off (AC
OFF
)


after 30 minutes if the outside temper-
ature is above approximately 41°F
(5°C)At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26°C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.
Charcoal filter
An activated charcoal filter markedly re-
duces bad odors and removes pollutants
from air entering the passenger compart-
ment.
Activating
Press buttone.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
iIf you keep buttonO pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof* or panorama sliding / pop-up
roof* will return to their previous posi-
tion.
iIf you keep buttone pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof* or panorama sliding / pop-up
roof* will close.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side 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.
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 the ebutton.
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 the ebutton.

193 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Deactivating
Press buttone.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The system switches automatically to the
air recirculation mode if the carbon
monoxide (CO) or nitrogen oxide (NO
X)
concentration of the outside air increases
beyond a predetermined level.
The automatic air recirculation mode does
not function if AC
OFF
mode is selected or if
the outside temperature has fallen below
41
°F(5
°C). The activated charcoal filter should be
switched off when windows fog up on the
inside, or if the passenger compartment
needs to be quickly heated or cooled
down.
Deactivating the climate control sys-
tem
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the automatic
climate control system.
Press buttonM until the display is
cleared.
The climate control system is deacti-
vated.Reactivating

Press buttonM again.
iIf you keep buttone pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof* will return to their previous posi-
tion.
iWith the climate control system deacti-
vated, the air flow and circulation are
switched off.
Only choose this setting temporarily to
prevent the windows from fogging up.

194 Controls in detailAutomatic 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°.
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.
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 position0 or1, or remove it from
the starter switch.

Press button°.
The indicator lamp on button°
comes on.
Deactivating

Press button°.
The indicator lamp on button°
goes out.
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.