2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E350 Starter key position

147 Controls in detail
Lighting
Interior lighting in the front
1Left front reading lamp on/off
2Rear interior lighting on/off
3Automatic control on/off
4Front interior lighting on/off
5Right front reading lamp on/off
6Ambient lighting
7Interior lighting
8Front reading lampsThe controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
Automatic control
Activating

Press automatic control switch3.
The interior lighting switches on in
darkness when you:

unlock the vehicle


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


open a door


open the trunk
The interior lighting switches off automati-
cally following an adjustable time delay.For more information, see “Setting interior
lighting delayed shut-off” (
page 173).
Deactivating

Press automatic control switch3
again.
The interior lighting remains switched
off in darkness, even when you:

unlock the vehicle


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


open a door


open the trunk
iLeaving an interior light switch in the
ON position for extended periods of
time with the engine turned off could
result in a discharged battery.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lighting switches off automatically after
approximately 5 minutes.

148 Controls in detailLightingManual control
Front interior lighting
Press front interior lighting switch4.
The front interior lighting switches on.

Press front interior lighting switch4
again.
The front interior lighting switches off.
Rear interior lighting

Press rear interior lighting switch2.
The rear interior lighting switches on.

Press rear interior lighting switch2
again.
The rear interior lighting switches off.Front reading lamps
The front reading lamps are located in the
lower edge of the interior rear view mirror.

Press front reading lamp
switch1or5 to switch on the de-
sired front reading lamp.

Press front reading lamp
switch1or5 again to switch off the
respective front reading lamp.
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the cor-
responding door entry lamps will switch on
in the darkness when you open a door and
the automatic control is activated.
The door entry lamps will switch off when
the corresponding door is closed.
iThe setting selected for the interior
lighting is used for the trunk lighting as
well.
If the trunk remains open, the trunk
lighting switches off automatically after
approximately 10 minutes.
iIf you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the
headlamps, the door entry lamps will
remain lit for approximately 5 minutes.

153 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* is in
position1. The control system enables you
to:

call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings.
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Outside temperature
2Trip odometer
3Automatic transmission program mode
4Main odometer
5Current gear selector lever position
Above illustration shows the standard
display.
For more information on menus displayed
in the multifunction display, see “Menus”
(page 156).
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player) will appear in English,
regardless of the language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his/her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.

163 Controls in detail
Control system
Vehicle status messages have been re-
corded
If conditions have occurred causing status
messages to be recorded, the number of
messages appears in the multifunction dis-
play:

Press buttonk orj.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in the order in which they have
occurred. For malfunction and warning
messages, see “Vehicle status messag-
es in the multifunction display”
(page 386).
Should the vehicle’s system record any
conditions while driving, the number of
messages will reappear in the multifunc-
tion display when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or re-
moved from the starter switch.
Settings menu
In the
Settings
menu there are two func-
tions:


The function
To reset: Press reset
button for 3 seconds
, with which you
can reset all the settings to the original
factory settings.


A collection of submenus with which
you can make individual settings for
your vehicle.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the
Settings
menu is seen in the
multifunction display.
iThe vehicle status message memory
will be cleared when you turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2. You will then only see
high priority messages in the multifunc-
tion display (
page 386).

173 Controls in detail
Control system

Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Lighting
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Headlamps delayed
shut-off
appears in the multifunction
display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to switch Headlamps delayed shut-off
on or
off
.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU before turning off the en-
gine.
You can temporarily deactivate the de-
layed shut-off feature:

Before exiting the vehicle, turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0.

Then turn it to position2 and back to
position0.
The delayed shut-off feature is deacti-
vated. It will reactivate as soon as you
reinsert the SmartKey in the starter
switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton on the gear selector lever
(page 37).Setting interior lighting delayed shut-off
Use this function to set whether you would
like the interior lighting to remain lit for
10 seconds during darkness after you have
removed the SmartKey from the starter
switch.

Move the selection marker with
buttonæ orç to the
Lighting
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Interior lighting
delayed shut-off appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to switch Interior lighting delayed shut-off

on or
off
.
iYou can reactivate this function within
10 minutes by opening a door.

179 Controls in detail
Control system
Resetting fuel consumption statistics
Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
trip computer menu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see the reading that you want
to reset in the multifunction display.

Press and hold the reset button in the
instrument cluster (
page 24) until
the value is reset to 0.Calling up range (distance to empty)

Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
trip computer menu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
Range:
appears in
the multifunction display.
In the multifunction display you will see
the calculated range based on the cur-
rent fuel tank level.
iAll statistics stored since the last en-
gine start will be reset approximately
4 hours after the SmartKey in the start-
er switch is turned to position0 or re-
moved from the starter switch.
Resetting will not occur if you turn the
SmartKey back to position1 or2 with-
in this time period.

185 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear selector lever position
Effect
ì
Park position
Gear selector lever position
when the vehicle is parked. Place
gear selector lever in positionP
only when vehicle is stopped.
The park position is not intended
to serve as a brake when the
vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the
parking brake in addition to
placing the gear selector lever in
positionP to secure the vehicle.
EffectThe SmartKey can only be
removed from the starter switch
with the gear selector lever in
positionP. With the SmartKey
removed, the gear selector lever
is locked in positionP.
If the vehicle’s electrical system
is malfunctioning, the gear
selector lever could remain
locked in positionP
(page 428).
í
Reverse gear
Place gear selector lever in
positionR only when vehicle is
stopped.
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engageN while
driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever toN
only if the vehicle is in danger of
skidding, e.g. on icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.

186 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Driving tips
Accelerator position
Your driving style influences the
transmission’s shifting behavior:
Less throttle Earlier upshifting
More throttle Later upshifting
Kickdown
Use kickdown when you want maximum
acceleration.
Press the accelerator past the point of
resistance.
The transmission shifts into a lower
gear.

Ease on the accelerator when you have
reached the desired speed.
The transmission shifts up again.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with gear selector lever
inN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in positionP
is dangerous. Also, positionP alone is not
intended to or capable of preventing your
vehicle from moving, possibly hitting people
or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 61).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
w i t h a c c e s s t o a n u n l o c k e d v e h i c l e . C h i l d r e n
could move the gear selector lever from
positionP, which could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.