MERCEDES-BENZ CL55AMG 2003 C215 Owner's Manual

161 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Turning on cooler air
Turn thumbwheel4 in the direction of
the blue marking.
Cooler air will enter from the center air
vent.
Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls12 and6
(page 159) to separately adjust the air
distribution on each side of the passenger
compartment. The following symbols are
found on the controls:Adjusting manually

Press button
U
.
The button emerges and the
h
,
V
, j
and
k
symbols become
visible.

Turn the marking on the regulator to
the desired symbol.
The air will be directed to the vents cor-
responding to this symbol.
Adjusting automatically

Press button
U
until it clicks in.
The
h
, V
, j
and
k
sym-
bols are no longer visible. The air distri-
bution is adjusted automatically.Windows fogged on the inside

Press button AC
OFF
t o s w i t c h o n t h e a i r
conditioning (
page 159).
The indicator lamp in the button goes
out.

Press button
,
to switch off the air
recirculation (
page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Adjust left and right air vents1 and6
upwards (
page 157).

Set blower to the maximum speed.

Increase temperature setting.

Open the side air vents9 and direct
them onto the side windows
(page 157).
Symbol
Function
h
Directs air through the cen-
ter air vents
j
Directs air to the windows
V
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
k
Directs air to the footwells

162 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlWindshield fogged on the outside
Switch the windshield wipers on.

Press on both
U
buttons until they
click in.
The
h
, V
, j
and
k
sym-
bols are no longer visible.

Press button
,
to switch off the air
recirculation (
page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Set blower to the maximum speed.
Adjusting air volume
Use air volume control9 (
page 159) for
both automatic and manual air volume ad-
justment.
Adjusting automatically

PressA on air volume switch9
(page 159).
The display shows “AUTO”. The air vol-
ume is adjusted automatically.Adjusting manually
Reducing air volume

Press switch 9 down until the desired
air volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.
Increasing air volume

Press switch9 up until the desired air
volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the air volume control are set
to
U
and there is a high need for cool-
ing, the display “AUTO MAXCOOL” ap-
pears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
sliding / pop-up roof are closed).
Defrosting
Activating
Press button
P
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Switch off air recirculation, if selected.

Press button
,
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Adjust side air vents upwards.
Deactivating

Press button
P
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.

163 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
Activating
Press button
,
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.iIf you keep button
,
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof will be closed.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
sliding/pop-up roof if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the closing pro-
cedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by
releasing the
,
button or by pressing
the respective window switch. The closing of
the sliding/pop-up roof can be immediately
halted by releasing the
,
button or by
moving the sliding/pop-up roof switch in the
overhead control panel in any direction.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated
automatically:

at high outside temperatures


if the concentration of carbon mon-
oxide and nitrogen oxide in the out-
side air increases beyond a
predetermined level, for example in
a tunnel.
Please note that the charcoal filter
must be activated (
page 164) for the
air recirculation mode to be activated
automatically.
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing (
page 166) or the outside
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the
air recirculation mode will not switch
on automatically.

164 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating
Press button
,
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:


after five minutes if the outside temper-
ature is below approximately 41°F
(5 °C)


after five minutes if the air conditioning
is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temper-
ature is above approximately 41°F
(5 °C)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.
Charcoal filter
An activated charcoal filter markedly re-
duces bad odors and removes pollutants
from air entering the passenger compart-
ment.
Activating
Press button
e
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
e
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iIf you keep button
,
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof will be returned to their previous
position.
iIf you keep button
e
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof will be closed.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
sliding/pop-up roof if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the closing pro-
cedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the procedure can be imme-
diately halted by releasing the
e
button
or by pressing the respective window
switch. The closing of the sliding/pop-up
roof can be immediately halted by releasing
the
e
button or by moving the slid-
ing/pop-up roof switch in the overhead con-
trol panel in any direction.

165 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
The system switches automatically to the
air recirculation mode if the carbon
monoxide (CO) or nitrogen oxide (NO
X)
concentration of the outside air increases
beyond a predetermined level, for example
in a tunnel.
The automatic air recirculation mode does
not function if AC
OFF
m o d e i s s e l e c t e d o r i f
the outside temperature has fallen below
41°F (5°C).
The activated charcoal filter should be
switched off when windows fog up on the
inside, or if the passenger compartment
needs to be quickly heated or cooled
down.
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to
a minimum, switch off the defroster as
soon as the rear window is clear. The de-
froster is automatically deactivated after
approximately 6 to 17 minutes of opera-
tion depending on the outside tempera-
ture.
Activating
Press button
F
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
F
(page 159) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
iIf you keep button
e
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof will be returned to their previous
positions.
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 blinking, 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.

166 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating the climate control sys-tem
Deactivating
It is possible to completely deactivate the
automatic climate control system. 
Press button
M
(page 159).
The display shows “0”
Reactivating
There are several ways to reactivate the
automatic climate control system:

Press one of the following buttons, M
, P
, U
, a temperature con-
trol switch (
page 159) or air volume
switch 9 on the climate control panel.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
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 buttonAC
OFF
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

PressAC
OFF
again (
page 159).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If theAC
OFF
button on the automatic
climate control panel starts to blink,
this indicates that the air conditioning
is losing refrigerant. The compressor
has turned itself off. The air condition-
ing cannot be turned on again.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

167 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
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
Turn the key in the starter switch to
position1 o r r e m o v e i t f r o m t h e s t a r t e r
switch.

Press button
T
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on button
T

comes on.Deactivating

Press button
T
(page 159).
The indicator lamp on button
T

goes off.
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the battery voltage dropsVentilated storage compartment under
armrest
The storage compartment under the arm-
rest (
page 200) can be ventilated when
the automatic air conditioning is switched
on. The switch is located inside the storage
compartment in the front. The air tempera-
ture is about the same as that of the center
air vents.
The air volume is dependent on the setting
of:


Air distribution control


Air volume control


Air vents in the dashboard
The air temperature is about the same as
that of the dashboard air vents. It cannot
be regulated separately.
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.

168 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlSwitching ventilation on
Push upper portion of switch.
Switching ventilation off

Push lower portion of switch.Rear passenger compartment adjust-
able air vents
1Left center air vent
2Right center air vent
3Thumbwheel for center air vents with
adjustable booster blower
To open center air vents and to adjust the
booster blower:
Turn thumbwheel3.
iThe compartment can get very warm
due to its confined space. When storing
heat sensitive objects in the compart-
ment, close the air vent while heating
the passenger compartment.!Do not obstruct the air vent in the stor-
age compartment.
iThe booster blower allows air volume
speed to the rear passenger compart-
ment to be increased at four different
levels.
The temperature at the air vents for
rear passenger compartment1 and2
is the same as at the dashboard center
air vents.

169 Controls in detail
Power windows
Power windows
Opening and closing the windows
The side windows can be opened and
closed electrically. The switches for all the
side windows are on the driver’s door. The
switches for the respective windows are
on the passenger door and on the rear cen-
ter console.
1Left front window
2Right front window
3Right rear window
4Left rear windowAdditional switches for the rear windows
are located on the rear center console.
1Left rear window
2Right rear window
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if switch was pressed past the resistance
point and released, by pressing the respec-
tive switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
t h a t b l o c k s i t s p a t h i n a c i r c u m s t a n c e w h e r e
you pressed the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
t h a t b l o c k s i t s p a t h i n a c i r c u m s t a n c e w h e r e
you are closing the window by pressing and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
button
‹
on the SmartKey, or by press-
ing and holding the lock button
(vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*) on the door
handle, the automatic reversal function will
not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
key from starter switch, take the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and lock your
vehicle. Do not leave children unattended in
the vehicle, or with access to an unlocked
vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehicle equip-
ment can cause an accident and/or serious
personal injury.

170 Controls in detailPower windows
Turn key in the starter switch to
position1 or2.
Opening the windows

Lightly press switch
k
to resistance
point.
The window will move downwards until
you release the switch.
Closing the windows

Lightly press switch
j
to resistance
point.
The window will move upwards until
you release the switch.
If you pull and hold the switch up when
closing the window, and upward move-
ment of the window is blocked by some
obstruction including but not limited to
arms, hands, fingers etc., the automat-
ic reversal will not operate.Fully opening the windows

Press switch
k
past the resistance
point and release.
Fully closing the windows

Press switch
j
past the point of re-
sistance and release.
!If the upward movement of the window
is blocked during the closing proce-
dure, the window will stop and open
slightly.
Remove the obstruction, press the
switch
j
again past the resistance
point and release.
If the window still does not close when
there is no obstruction, then hold the
switch
j
down. The side window
will then close without the obstruction
sensor function.
Warning!
G
Driver's door only:
If within five seconds you again press the
switch past the resistance point and re-
lease, the automatic reversal will not func-
tion.