2006 MERCEDES-BENZ R500 cooling

232 Controls in detail3-zone automatic climate control*
1
Temperature control, driver’s side
2
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic, manual)
3
Air distribution, driver’s side
4
Front defroster
0USA only
P Canada only
5
Increasing air volume
6
Rear window defroster
1 USA only
F Canada only
7
Air distribution, passenger side
8
Rear climate control
>USA only
™Canada only
9
Temperature control, passenger side
a
Automatic climate control on/off
b
Air distribution, passenger side
c
Air distribution, passenger side
d
AC cooling on/off
Residual heat/ventilation
e
Display
f
Decreasing air volume
g
Air recirculation
h
Air distribution, driver’s side
j
Air distribution, driver’s side
k
Interior temperature sensor
l
Adopting driver’s side settings for all
zones

233 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
The automatic climate control is a 3-zone
intelligent climate control system. Your ve-
hicle interior is divided into 3 zones.With the help of a sun sensor, the climate
control determines the relation of the sun
to the vehicle and automatically adjusts
the inside temperature for each individual
zone.
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. It cools
the vehicle’s interior according to the an-
gle and intensity of the sun’s rays, the out-
side temperature and the selected
temperature. You can operate the auto-
matic climate control in either the auto-
matic or manual mode.
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/C mode is deactivated
(
page 242).
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents can be very
hot or very cold (depending on the set tem-
perature). This may cause burns or frostbite
to unprotected skin in the immediate area of
the air vents.
Always keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the air
vents. If necessary, use the air distribution
controls (
page 232) to direct the air to air
vents in the vehicle interior that are not in
the immediate area of unprotected skin.

234 Controls in detail3-zone automatic climate control*
Deactivating the climate control system
Deactivating
Press button´ (
page 232) until
the display is cleared.Reactivating

Press buttonU(
page 232).
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, see
“Summer opening feature”
(page 251). The automatic climate
control will then adjust the interior
temperature to the set value much fast-
er.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
Warning!
G
When the automatic climate control is
switched off, the outside air supply and cir-
culation are also switched off. Only choose
this setting for a short time. Otherwise the
windows could fog up, impairing visibility
and endangering you and others.
iYou can also press button´
(page 232) on the automatic climate
control panel.
If you press button0 (
page 232)
to reactivate the automatic climate
control system, the defrosting mode is
activated.

235 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Deactivating the rear automatic
climate control
You can switch on and off the rear auto-
matic climate control with the automatic
climate control panel in the front.
Deactivating
Press button> (
page 232).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
In displaye (
page 232), you will see
the >symbol followed by
MODE
for
approximately 3 seconds.

Press button´ (
page 232).
In displaye (
page 232), you will see
the >symbol followed by
OFF
.
The rear automatic climate control is
switched off.Reactivating

Press button> (
page 232).
The indicator lamp on button>
comes on.
In displaye (
page 232), you will see
the >symbol followed by
ON and
MODE
. The
MODE
display is cleared and
the indicator lamp on button>
goes out after approximately
3 seconds.
The rear automatic climate control
switches on.
For more information on rear air condition-
ing, see “Rear automatic climate control”
(
page 244).Operating the climate control system
in automatic mode
You can switch the automatic climate con-
trol system on and off separately for each
zone as needed.
Activating
Press buttonU (
page 232) while
the engine is running.
AUTO appears in the display of control
panele (
page 232). Air volume and
air distribution are controlled separate-
ly for each zone.
iYou can switch on and off the rear au-
tomatic climate control by pressing the
respective button on the rear climate
control panel (
page 244).
iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.
In automatic mode, cooling with dehu-
midify is switched on. This function can
be switched off if necessary.


239 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Maximum cooling MAX COOL
If the air distribution control as well as the
airflow volume control are set toU and
there is a high need for cooling, the
MAX COOL function is activated.
“MAX COOL” appears in the front and rear
display.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof* or tilt/sliding panel*
are closed).
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before driving
through a tunnel). This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.Activating

Press button: (
page 232).
The indicator lamp on the:button
comes on.
Warning!
G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 241) is activated, or
press button0.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated
automatically at high outside tempera-
tures.
The indicator lamp on button:is
not lit when the air recirculation mode
is automatically switched on.
A quantity of outside air is added after
approximately 30 minutes.
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing (
page 241) or the outside
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the
air recirculation mode will not switch
on automatically.

241 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
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.
Air conditioning
The cooling function, only operational
when the engine is running, cools the vehi-
cle down to the selected interior tempera-
ture. The cooling function also
dehumidifies the air in the vehicle interior,
thereby preventing the windows from fog-
ging up.
iPress and hold button:for approx-
imately 2 seconds. The windows,
and/or the tilt/sliding sunroof*, (or
tilt/sliding panel*) will return to their
previous position. You can release
button:once the opening proce-
dure has begun. The windows and/or
the tilt/sliding sunroof* (or tilt/sliding
panel*) continue opening until they
have reached their previous position.
A window or the tilt/sliding sunroof*
(or tilt/sliding panel*) will only return
to its previous position if it has not
been moved to another position using
the respective window switch or
tilt/sliding sunroof* (or tilt/sliding
panel*) switch after it was closed with
button:.
A window or the tilt/sliding sunroof (or
tilt/sliding panel*) that was moved will
remain in its current position if
button:is used to re-open the re-
maining windows or tilt sliding sun-
roof* (or tilt/sliding panel*).
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.Warning!
G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
vehicle will not be cooled when weather
conditions are warm. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.

242 Controls in detail3-zone automatic climate control*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 button9 (
page 232).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The cooling function switches off
after a short delay.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

Press button9 again.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R-134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.Using driver-side settings for all tem-
perature zones
You can use the settings of the driver’s
side, such as temperature, air volume and
air distribution, for all temperature zones.
These settings only need to be made once
and the climate control system will auto-
matically regulate the settings for all tem-
perature zones quickly and comfortably.
Activating
Adjust the temperature, air volume and
air distribution (
page 232).

Press button; (
page 232).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The driver-side settings are used for all
temperature zones.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air
conditioning is losing refrigerant. The
compressor has turned off.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.

244 Controls in detail3-zone automatic climate control*Rear automatic climate control
The control panel is located in the rear cen-
ter console.Rear automatic climate control panel
Activating rear air conditioning
Press buttonU.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The temperature, air vol-
ume, and air distribution are adjusted
automatically.
Deactivating rear air conditioning

Press button´.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.
1
Increase air volume
2
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic, manual)
3
Air distribution (directs air through
the side air vents
4
Right rear center air vent, adjustable
5
Air distribution (directs air through
the footwells and side air vents)
6
Rear automatic climate control
on/off
7
Decrease air volume
8
Left rear center air vent, adjustable
9
Indicator lamps for air volume
settings
a
Temperature control
iThe climate control must be switched
on (
page 234).