2005 MERCEDES-BENZ ML500 Owner's Manual

135 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the defrost-
er as soon as the rear window is clear. The
defroster is automatically deactivated
after approximately 6 to 17 minutes of
operation depending on the outside tem-
perature.
Activating
Switch ignition on.

Press buttonF (
page 137).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonF again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
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.

136 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control

137 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic climate control panel in the front
Item
1
Thumbwheel for center air vent
2
Center air vent, adjustable
3
Defroster air vent windshield
4
Thumbwheels for side air vent
5
Side air vent, adjustable
6
Footwell air vent
7
Automatic climate control
Item
1
Air volume control
2
Defrosting
3
Air recirculation
4
Temperature control
5
Automatic control (temperature, air
distribution, air volume)
6
AC cooling on / off (AC
OFF
)
Residual heat / ventilation (REST)
7
Interior temperature sensor
8
Air distribution control
9
Rear window defroster
a
Rear passenger compartment venti-
lation on / off

138 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlThe automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current 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.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 on unprotected skin
in the immediate area of the air vents.
Always 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 to direct
the air away from the footwell air vents
(page 140).
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 touch the interior temperature
sensor to maintain a precise tempera-
ture.
The set value is indicated by a lighted
segment on the control wheels.

139 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Automatic mode
Switching on
Briefly press buttonU
(page 137).
The indicator lamp comes on. The tem-
perature, air volume and distribution
are controlled automatically.

Adjust the temperature with the tem-
perature control4 (
page 137).
Temperature control is switched off in
the extreme position (blue or red dot).
Switching off

Briefly press buttonU
(page 137).
The indicator lamp goes out. The auto-
matic mode is switched off.
Air volume control1 is set to fan
speed 2 and air distribution is set
toV.Activating basic setting

Press buttonU at least
three seconds.
All functions are switched to automatic
mode and temperature is set to 72°F
(22°C).
Changing basic setting

Set temperature control4
(page 137) to desired temperature.

Press buttonU for ten seconds.
The selected temperature value is
stored and set.Adjusting air volume and air distribu-
tion manually
Adjusting air volume
Turn air volume control1 to one of
five air volume settings.
iAdjust temperature settings in small
increments.
iIf you turn air volume control1 or air
distribution control8 (
page 137),
the automatic mode switches off. The
indicator lamp in the buttonU goes
out. The temperature control will still
be in automatic mode.
iWhen set to 0 the system is fully deac-
tivated and no fresh air is supplied. This
setting should only be selected for
short periods of time.

140 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAdjusting air distribution
Turn air distribution control8
(page 137) to one the following
symbols:
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on,
(page 51).

Turn air distribution control8 toh
ork.
Defrosting
Activating
Press buttonP (
page 137).
The indicator lamp on the buttonP
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonP again.
or

Press buttonU (
page 137).
The indicator lamp on the buttonP
goes out.
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.
Symbol
Function
h
Directs air to the center
and side air vents
j
Directs air to the wind-
shield and side air vents
V
Directs air into the en-
tire vehicle interior
k
Directs air to the foot-
wells and side air vents
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.
When the defrost setting has been se-
lected, only the rear window defroster
can be switched on. No other settings
are possible.
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.

141 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Activating
Press buttonÄ (
page 137).
The indicator lamp on the buttonÄ
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonÄ (
page 137).
The indicator lamp on the buttonÄ
goes out.
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 137).
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 button° again.
The indicator lamp on the button°
goes out.
The air conditioning system uses the refrig-
erant R-134a. This refrigerant is free of
CFCs which are harmful to the ozone layer.
iTo achieve the fastest possible cooling
of the interior, the automatic climate
control automatically switches to air
recirculation. The indicator lamp in the
buttonÄ is not illuminated when
the system automatically switches to
air recirculation.
iThe air recirculation mode is
deactivated automatically

after 30 minutes if the automatic
climate control is switched on


after five minutes if the air condi-
tioning is switched off


after five minutes if the outside
temperature is above approximate-
ly 45°F (7°C)
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.

142 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control
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 key in the steering lock to
position0 or1 (
page 33).

Press button° (
page 137).
The indicator lamp on button°
comes on.Deactivating

Press button°.
The indicator lamp on button°
goes out.
!If the °button on the automatic
climate control panel starts to flash,
this indicates that the air conditioning
system is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned itself off. The air
conditioning cannot be turned on
again.
Have the air conditioning system
checked at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Light Truck 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 lower
speed regardless of the air volume con-
trol setting.
iThe residual heat is automatically
turned off:

when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the coolant temperature is too
low


if the battery voltage drops