2004 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 Owner's Manual

184 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAdjusting the temperature for center
air vents
When outside temperatures are low, you
can manually raise the air temperature for
the center and side air vents. The
thumbwheel4 is located between the
center air vents (
page 180).
Automatic temperature control

Turn thumbwheel 4 to A.
The indicator lamp above the thumb-
wheel comes on. The temperature is
automatically adjusted to the set value.Turning on warm air

Turn thumbwheel 4 in the direction of
the white marking.
Warm air will enter from the center air
vent.
Turning on cooler air

Turn thumbwheel4 in the direction of
the blue marking.
Cooler air will enter from the center air
vent.
Adjusting air distribution
Use air distribution controlsc and6
(page 182) to separately adjust the air
distribution on each side of the passenger
compartment. The following symbols are
found on the controls:Symbol
Function
h
Directs air through the cen-
ter air vents
d
Directs air to the windows
»
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
c
Directs air to the footwells

185 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting manually
Press left or right buttonU.
The button emerges and theh,
», d and csymbols become
visible.

Turn the marking on the regulator to
the desired symbol.
The air will be directed to the vents cor-
responding to this symbol.
Adjusting automatically

Press left or right buttonU until it
clicks in.
Theh, », d and
csymbols are no longer visible.
The air distribution is adjusted auto-
matically.Windows fogged on the inside

Press button± to switch on the air
conditioning (
page 182).
The indicator lamp in the button goes
out.

Press button, to switch off the air
recirculation (
page 182).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Make sure left and right buttonU
emerges.
Theh, », d and
csymbols become visible.

Press left and rightd button.

Set blower to the maximum speed.

Adjust left and right air vents1
and6 upwards (
page 180).

Increase temperature setting.

Open side air vents9 and direct them
onto the side windows (
page 180).
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on
(page 48).

Press on both U buttons until they
click in.
Theh, », d and c sym-
bols are no longer visible.

186 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAdjusting air volume
Use air volume control9 (
page 182) for
both automatic and manual air volume ad-
justment.
Adjusting automatically

PressA on air volume switch9
(page 182).
The display shows “
AUTO
.” The air vol-
ume is adjusted automatically.Adjusting manually
Reducing air volume

Press switch9 down until the desired
air volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.
Increasing air volume

Press switch9 up until the desired air
volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the air volume control are set
toU and there is a high need for cool-
ing, the display “
AUTO MAXCOOL
” appears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
sliding/pop-up roof are closed).

187 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Defrosting
Activating
Press buttonP (
page 182).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.

Switch off air recirculation, if selected.

Press button, (
page 182).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Adjust side air vents upwards.
Deactivating

Press buttonP (
page 182).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
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 button, (
page 182).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
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 button, pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof will close.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
sliding pop/pop-up roof if there is the possi-
bility of anyone being harmed by the closing
procedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by pressing
the respective window switch. The closing of
the sliding/pop-up roof can be immediately
halted by moving the sliding/pop-up roof
switch in the overhead control panel 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, button.

188 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating
Press button, (
page 182).
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


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 (
page 182).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
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 beyond a
predetermined level, for example in
a tunnel.
Please note that the charcoal filter
must be activated (
page 188) for the
air recirculation mode to be activated
automatically.
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing (
page 190) or the outside tem-
perature is below 41°F (5°C), the air
recirculation mode will not switch on
automatically.
iIf you keep button, pressed, the
side windows and the 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 will close.

189 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Deactivating
Press buttone (
page 182).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.The system automatically switches 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, for example
in a tunnel.
The automatic air recirculation mode does
not function if ± 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.
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to
a minimum, switch off the defroster as
soon as the rear window is clear. The de-
froster is automatically deactivated after
approximately 6 to 17 minutes of opera-
tion depending on the outside tempera-
ture.
Activating
Press buttonF (
page 182).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonF (
page 182) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
sliding /pop-up roof if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the closing pro-
cedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by pressing
the respective window switch. The closing of
the sliding/pop-up roof can be immediately
halted by moving the sliding/pop-up roof
switch in the overhead control panel in any
direction.
The closing of the side windows and slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be reversed by again
pressing and holding thee button.
iIf you keep buttone pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof will return to their previous posi-
tion.

190 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control
Deactivating the climate control sys-tem
Deactivating
It is possible to completely deactivate the
automatic climate control system. 
Press button M (
page 182).
The display shows “0”.
Reactivating
There are several ways to reactivate the
automatic climate control system:

Press one of the following buttons,
M, P, U, a temperature con-
trol switch (
page 182) or air volume
switch 9 on the automatic climate
control panel.
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 182).
The indicator lamp on the button±
comes on.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts flashing, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically turns itself back on.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press± again (
page 182).
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 or 0, or remove it from the
starter switch.

Press buttonT (
page 182).
The indicator lamp on buttonT
comes on.Deactivating

Press buttonT (
page 182).
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
!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.
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.