2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E350 Light switch

92 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsIn this section you will find information on
the following driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


ESP
® (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)


Electrohydraulic brake system


4MATIC (Four Wheel Electronic
Traction System)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km/h) independent
of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even to light brake pressure.
The - indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster comes on when you switch on the
ignition. It goes out when the engine is run-
ning.
iIn winter operation, the maximum ef-
fectiveness of the ABS, the BAS, the
ESP
®, electrohydraulic brake system
and 4MATIC is only achieved with win-
ter tires (
page 358), or snow chains
as required.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of ac-
cidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The ABS, BAS, ESP
®, electrohydraulic brake
system and 4MATIC cannot reduce this risk.
Always adjust your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

122 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the trunk reopens slightly.Closing the trunk from the outside
manually
1Handle
2Handles

Lower trunk lid by pulling firmly on
handle1 or handles2.

Close trunk with hands placed flat on
trunk lid.
Warning!
G
Maintain sight of trunk area while operating
the door mounted switch. Monitor the clos-
ing procedure carefully to make sure that no
one is in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, release
the door mounted remote trunk switch.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the remote trunk
switch can be operated. Therefore, do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.


124 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingIf the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the trunk reopens slightly.Closing the trunk from the outside
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with trunk opening/closing sys-
tem* you can close the trunk separately
from the outside using the trunk closing
switch.
1Trunk closing switch

Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you.

Press trunk closing switch1 briefly.
The trunk closes.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the trunk opening when closing the trunk.
Be especially careful when small children
are around. To stop the closing procedure,
do one of the following:

press the trunk closing switch1


press button Š on the SmartKey
(page 106)


press the remote trunk switch (on the
driver’s door) (
page 120)
Even with the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch, the trunk closing switch can
be operated. Therefore, do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.iDo not place the SmartKey in the open
trunk. You may lock yourself out.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk will lock automatical-
ly after closing it (
page 121).
To confirm locking all turn signal lamps
flash three times.
iYou can also close the trunk by hand.


125 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the trunk reopens slightly.
iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the trunk will open automatically if
a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is recog-
nized inside the vehicle or in the trunk.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the trunk opening when closing the trunk.
Be especially careful when small children
are around. To stop the closing procedure,
do one of the following:

press KEYLESS-GO locking / closing
switch1 (
page 126)


press the trunk closing switch1


press button Š on the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO (
page 111)


press the remote trunk switch (on the
driver’s door) (
page 120)
Even with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
removed from the vehicle, the trunk closing
switch can be operated. Therefore, do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.iIf the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk will lock automatical-
ly after closing it (
page 121).
To confirm locking all turn signal lamps
flash three times.

126 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the trunk and locking the vehi-
cle from the outside (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*)
In vehicles with trunk opening/closing sys-
tem* and KEYLESS-GO, you can close the
trunk and lock the vehicle simultaneously
from the outside using the KEYLESS-GO
locking/closing switch.
1KEYLESS-GO locking/closing switch
You can close the trunk and lock the vehi-
cle simultaneously.
Make sure you have the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you.

Press switch1 briefly.

The trunk closes.


All turn signal lamps flash three
times.


The locking knobs in the doors
move down.


The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the trunk reopens slightly.
iYou can also close the trunk by hand.iTo prevent a possible inadvertent lock-
out, the trunk will open automatically if
a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is recog-
nized inside the vehicle or in the trunk.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the trunk opening when closing the trunk.
Be especially careful when small children
are around. To stop the closing procedure,
do one of the following:

press KEYLESS-GO locking/closing
switch1 (
page 126)


press trunk closing switch (
page 124)


press button Š on the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO


press the remote trunk switch (on the
driver’s door) (
page 120)

141 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
For information on how to switch on the
headlamps and use the turn signals, see
“Switching on headlamps” (
page 54)
and see “Turn signals” (
page 55).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.Exterior lamp switchMOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 142)
UAutomatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 142)
CParking lamps (also tail lamps, li-
cense plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)BLow beam headlamps (or high
beam headlamps when the combi-
nation switch is pushed forward)
and parking lamps
ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
‡Indicator lamp for front fog lamps
†Indicator lamp for rear fog lamp
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles
drive on the other side of the road than
the country where the vehicle is regis-
tered, you must have the headlamps
modified for symmetrical low beams.
Relevant information can be obtained
at your authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.iVehicles equipped with active Bi-Xe-
non* headlamps:
The active Bi-Xenon headlamps moni-
tor your steering angle and driving
speed, then automatically shift their
beams to either side to better follow
the curvature of the road ahead, in-
creasing usable illumination over con-
ventional headlamps.
iWith the SmartKey removed from the
starter switch or the engine turned off
with KEYLESS-GO* and the driver’s
door open, a warning sounds if the
parking lamps or low beam headlamps
are switched on.
The message
Switch off lamps

appears in the multifunction display.

142 Controls in detailLightingManual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and the parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light:

Low beam headlamps


Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps

Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionU.
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position1 or the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button pressed once, only the parking
lamps will switch on and off automatically.When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps, the tail and parking lamps, the
license plate lamps, and the side marker
lamps will switch on and off automatically.
Daytime running lamp mode

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are automatically
switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lamps
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.
Warning!
G
If the exterior lamp switch is set toU,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.


the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to B when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from position U to B with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from U to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.

143 Controls in detail
Lighting
Canada only:
The daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a three-minute delay.
When the engine is running, and you

turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the parking lamps
switch on additionally.


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 54).USA only:
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime run-
ning lamp mode using the control system,
see “Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)” (
page 170).
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to
positionCorB, the manual head-
lamp mode has priority over the daytime
running lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 54).
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the exterior lamp switch
in positionM, the high beam head-
lamps cannot be switched on.
The high beam flasher is available at all
times.