2008 MERCEDES-BENZ ML350 Adjust

219 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
1Driver’s door air vent, fixed
2Left side air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side and door air vent
4Windshield air vents
5Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
6Left center air vent, adjustable
7Right center air vent, adjustable
8Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
9Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side and door air vent
aRight side air vent, adjustable
bFront passenger door air vent, fixed
cAutomatic climate control panel
dFootwell air vents
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the sliders
for center air vents and side air vents to the
middle position.

221 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
The automatic climate control is a 3-zone
intelligent automatic climate control sys-
tem. Your vehicle interior is divided into
3 zones.With the help of a sun sensor, the automat-
ic climate control determines the relation
of the sun to the vehicle and automatically
adjusts the inside temperature for every
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.
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 220) to direct the air to air
vents in the vehicle interior that are not in
the immediate area of unprotected skin.

222 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
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 220).Deactivating the automatic climate
control system
Deactivating
Press button´ (page 220) until
the displaye (
page 220) is cleared.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!G
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before
its scheduled interval. A clogged filter will
reduce the air volume to the interior and the
windows could fog up, impairing visibility
and endangering you and others. Have a
clogged filter replaced as soon as possible
at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following
pages. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the in-
terior before driving off, see “Summer opening
feature” (
page 237). The automatic climate
control will then adjust the interior temperature
to the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow and debris.
Warning!G
When the automatic climate control system
is switched off, the outside air supply and
circulation are also switched off. Only
choose this settings for a short time. Other-
wise the windows could fog up, impairing
visibility and endangering you and others.

223 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Reactivating
Press buttonU(page 220).
Operating the automatic 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 220) while
the engine is running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Air volume and air distribu-
tion are controlled separately for each
zone.
Use temperature controls1 and9
(
page 220) to separately adjust the
air temperature on each side of the
passenger compartment.
The temperature of the interior is ad-
justed automatically.
Deactivating
Press one button of the air distribution
(
page 220) or press button

orQ (
page 220).
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out.Depending on which button you press –
the air distribution button or the air vol-
ume button
orQ – automatic
control of either the air distribution or
air volume is switched off.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature control1 and9
(
page 220) to separately adjust the air
temperature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, preferably starting at 72°F (22°C).
The automatic climate control will adjust to
the set temperature as fast as possible.
Increasing
Turn temperature control1
and/or9 slightly clockwise.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
iYou can also press button´
(
page 220) on the automatic climate control
panel.
If you press button| (
page 220) to
reactivate the automatic climate control system,
the defrosting mode is activated.
iWhen operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode, you will only
rarely need to adjust the temperature, air volume
and air distribution.
In automatic mode, cooling with dehumidify is
switched on. This function can be switched off if
necessary.

224 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Decreasing
Turn the temperature control1
and/or9 slightly counterclockwise.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls3,h,
orj for the driver’s side, or7,b, orc
(
page 220) for the passenger side to
separately adjust the air distribution on
each side of the passenger compartment.
The following symbols are found on the
buttons:
Press the desired air distribution but-
ton (
page 220).
The indicator lamp on the desired but-
ton goes out.Adjusting the air distribution for the
center and side air vents
Opening the center air vents
Turn thumbwheels5 and8
(
page 218) to the right.
The corresponding center air vents on
the left and right are open.
Closing the center air vents
Turn thumbwheels5 and8
(
page 218) to the left.
The corresponding center air vents on
the left and right are closed.
SymbolFunction
Driver’s
sidePassen-
ger side
6ZDirects air to the
windshield and side
air vents
7aDirects air through
the center, side and
rear passenger
compartment air
vents
8YDirects air to the
footwells and side
air vents

225 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Opening the side air vents
Turn thumbwheels3 andb
(
page 218) to the right.
The corresponding side air vents on the
left and right are open.
Closing the side air vents
Turn thumbwheels3 andb
(
page 218) to the left.
The corresponding side air vents on the
left and right are closed.
Adjusting air volume
Five blower speeds are available.
Press button
to decrease or
buttonQ to increase air volume
(
page 220) to the desired level.
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out.
The automatic mode is switched off.
The selected blower speed appears in
the displaye (
page 220).
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, such as when it is iced up. You
can also use it to defog the windshield and
door windows.
Activating
Press button| (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The automatic climate control switches to
the following functions automatically:

most efficient blower speed and
heating power, depending on outside
temperature

air flows onto the windshield and the
front door windows (side air vents must
be open)

the air conditioning compressor
switches on at outside temperatures
above approximately 41°F (5°C) for
air-drying
Adjustments
You can adjust the air volume and the tem-
perature when the front defroster is
switched on. The air flow will remain on the
windshield and front door windows.
Press button
to decrease or
buttonQ to increase air volume
(
page 220) to the desired level.
The air volume decreases/increases to
the next lower/higher blower speed
and heating switches to the tempera-
ture that was set before the front de-
froster was switched on.
The indicator lamp on button|
goes out. The indicator lamp on
button9 comes on.
or
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the side windows are clear again.


230 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Activating
Adjust the temperature, air volume and
air distribution (
page 220).
Press button; (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The driver-side settings are used for all
temperature zones.
Deactivating
Press button; (page 220) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
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
Switch off the ignition (page 39).
Press button9 (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating
Press button9.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iIf you manually set the temperature, air vol-
ume or air distribution for the passenger side or
the rear passenger compartment when the
MONO setting is active, the MONO setting will
be switched off.
iHow long the system will provide heating
depends on

the coolant temperature

the battery voltage
Regardless of the temperature and air volume
set on the automatic climate control panel, an
interior temperature is aimed at by 72°F (22°C)
and the blower runs on low speed to protect the
vehicle battery.
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

231 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Rear automatic climate control
The control panel is located at the rear of
the front center console.Activating rear automatic climate
control
Press buttonU.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The temperature, air vol-
ume, and air distribution are adjusted
automatically.
Deactivating rear automatic climate
control
Press button´.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.
1Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2Right rear center air vent, adjustable
3Temperature control
4Air distribution and air volume
(automatic, manual)
5Air distribution (directs air through
the center air vents)
6Air distribution (directs air through
the footwells and side air vents)
7Rear automatic climate control
on/off
8Decreasing air volume
9Indicator lamps for air volume
settings
aIncreasing air volume
iThe stored values for the rear automatic
climate control are erased from memory after
the ignition has been switched off for more than
30 minutes. Once the front automatic climate
control is switched on again, the rear automatic
climate control operates in automatic mode at a
preset temperature of 72°F (22°C).
iThe automatic climate control must be
switched on (
page 223).
iSwitch off the rear automatic climate con-
trol for improved cooling or heating output in the
front passenger compartment.
You can also switch off the rear automatic
climate control from the front passenger com-
partment (
page 220).