2006 MERCEDES-BENZ E500 Controls

198 Controls in detailGood visibility
Activating exterior rear view mirror
parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.
The buttons are located on the driver’s
door.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 140).
Warning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at sen-
sors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun-
shade* is in raised position.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
In case of an accident, liquid electrolyte may
escape from the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.
!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state by applying plenty of water.Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror.
The mirror surface is convex (outwardly
curved surface for a wider field of view). Ob-
jects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Check your interior rear view mirror or
glance over your shoulder before changing
lanes.

199 Controls in detail
Good visibility

Make sure the
Mirror adjustment
parking aid function in the
Conve-
nience
submenu of the control system
is switched to
on (page 176).

Switch on the ignition (
page 36).

Press button2 for the passenger-side
exterior rear view mirror.

Place the gear selector lever in reverse
gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:


10 seconds after you put the gear se-
lector lever out of positionR


immediately once your vehicle exceeds
a speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)


immediately when you press button1
for driver’s side mirror.
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visor1 down when you ex-
perience glare.1Sun visor
2Mirror cover
3Mirror lamp
4Mounting
5Vanity mirror

To use the vanity mirror 5, lift up the
mirror cover2.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
iIf sun visor1 is disengaged from
mounting4 with mirror cover2
open, mirror lamp3 will switch off.

200 Controls in detailGood visibility6Mounting
7Additional visor*
8Sun visor
If sunlight enters through a side window:
Disengage sun visor 8 from
mounting6.

Pivot sun visor 8 to the side.

Adjust the sun visor 8 by pushing or
pulling in direction of arrows.
Rear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
Switch on the ignition (
page 36).
Always raise the sunshade fully for its sup-
port against the window frame.

Press the switch briefly at 1 to raise
the sunshade.

Press the switch briefly at 1 to lower
the sunshade.
iClose mirror cover2 (if open) before
you disengage the sun visor 8 from
mounting 6 and pivot it to the side.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
be sure that there is no danger of anyone be-
ing harmed by the raising or lowering proce-
dure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be im-
mediately halted by briefly pressing
switch1. To reverse direction of move-
ment, press switch1 again.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
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment can
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

201 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Roller sunblind* in the rear doors
Pull the roller sunblind out using the
hooks.

Attach the hooks at the top.
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 af-
ter approximately 6 to 17 minutes of oper-
ation depending on the outside
temperature.
Activating
Press button1 (
page 204) or
(
page 216) orF (
page 217) on
the respective climate control panel.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press buttonF or1 again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
!Always guide the sunblind by hand. Do
not let it snap back, as the retractor
could be damaged.
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.

202 Controls in detailDual-zone automatic climate control (USA only)

203 Controls in detail
Dual-zone automatic climate control (USA only)
1
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
2
Left center air vent, adjustable
3
Cockpit air vent, fixed
4
Right center air vent, adjustable
5
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
6
Right side defroster vent, fixed
7
Right side air vent, adjustable
8
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
9
Climate control panel
a
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
b
Left side air vent, adjustable
c
Left side defroster vent, fixed
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the center air vents 2 and
4 to the middle position.

204 Controls in detailDual-zone automatic climate control (USA only)1
Temperature control, left
2
Front defroster
3
Increase air volume
4
Air distribution
5
Rear window defroster
6
Temperature control, right
7
AC cooling on/off
8
Air distribution display
9
Climate control on/off
a
Air volume display
b
Decrease air volume
c
Air recirculation
d
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic, manual)

205 Controls in detail
Dual-zone automatic climate control (USA only)
The climate control is operational whenev-
er the engine is running. You can operate
the climate control system in either the au-
tomatic or manual mode. The system cools
or heats the interior depending on the se-
lected interior temperature and the cur-
rent 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.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the A/Cmode is deactivated
(
page 212).
Warning!
G
When operating the climate control, the air
that enters the passenger compartment
through the air vents can be very hot or very
cold (depending on the set temperature).
This may cause burns or frostbite to unpro-
tected skin in the immediate area of the air
vents. Always keep sufficient distance be-
tween unprotected parts of the body and the
air vents. If necessary, use the air distribu-
tion control (
page 204) to direct the air to
air vents in the vehicle interior that are not
in the immediate area of unprotected skin.
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 vol-
ume to the interior.
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off, see
“Summer opening feature”
(page 234). The climate control will
then adjust the interior temperature to
the set value much faster.
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.