lock MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS 2003 Workshop Manual

116 Controls in detailLightingInterior lighting
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Switch for reading lamp, left
2Switch for rear compartment lighting
3Switch for automatic function
4Switch for interior lighting in front
5Switch for reading lamp, right
6Ambient lighting
7Interior lighting8Reading lamps
Activating automatic control

Press button3.
Interior lamps are switched on in dark-
ness, when

unlocking the vehicle


opening a door


removing the SmartKey from the
starter switch
The interior lamps are switched off follow-
ing an adjustable time delay (
page 141).Deactivating automatic control

Press button3.
The interior lighting remains switched
off, even when

centrally unlocking the vehicle


opening a door


removing the SmartKey from the
starter switch
Manual control
Switching rear interior lights on and off

Press button2.
The lights in the rear passenger com-
partment go on.

Press button2 again.
The lights in the rear passenger com-
partment go out.
iIf the door remains open, the interior
lamps switch off automatically after ap-
proximately five minutes when the key
is removed or in starter switch
position0.
An interior lamp switched on manually
does not go out automatically.
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118 Controls in detailInstrument cluster
Instrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the "At a glance"
section of this manual (
page 22).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you


open a door


turn on the ignition


press the reset knob (
page 22)


switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 134).
Instrument cluster illumination
Use the reset knob (
page 22) to adjust
the illumination brightness for the instru-
ment cluster.To brighten illumination

Turn the reset knob in the instrument
cluster clockwise (
page 22).
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.
To dim illumination

Turn the reset knob in the instrument
cluster counterclockwise (
page 22).
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.
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132 Controls in detailControl systemThe table below shows what settings can
be changed within the various menus. De-
tailed instructions on making individual
settings can be found on the following pag-
es.INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
TIME/DATE
LIGHTING
VEHICLE
Select temperature display
mode
Set time (hours)
Set daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
Set automatic locking
Select speedometer display
mode
Set time (minutes)
Set locator lighting
Select language
Set date (month)
Ambient lighting
Select display (speed display or
outside temperature) for status
line
Set date (day)
Exterior lamps delayed
switch-off
Tire pressure unit display*
Set date (year)
Interior lighting delayed
switch-off
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137 Controls in detail
Control system
Set time (hours)
Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the Time/Date
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Clock, hours
.
The selection marker is on the hour set-
ting.

Pressæ orç to set the hour.

Confirm by pressing reset knob.Set time (minutes)

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the Time/Date
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Clock, minutes
.
The selection marker is on the minute
setting.

Pressæ orç to set the minutes.

Confirm by pressing reset knob.Set date (month)

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the Time/Date
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Set date month
.
The selection marker is on the month
setting.

Pressæ orç to set the month.
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139 Controls in detail
Control system
Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the
Light-
ing
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Lamp circuit headlamp
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to select manual
or daytime running lamp (constant)
mode. This function is not available in
countries where daytime running
lamps are mandatory.With daytime running lamp mode se-
lected and the exterior lamp switch at
position0, the following lamps will
come on automatically when the en-
gine is turned on:


Parking lamps and low beam head-
lamps


License plate lamps (in low ambient
light conditions) Setting locator lighting
During darkness, the following lamps will
come on when the locator lighting feature
is activated and the vehicle is unlocked by
remote control:


Parking lamps


Tail lamps


License plate lamps


Front fog lamps
The exterior lamp switch must be set to po-
sition U (
page 112).
The locator lighting switches off when the
driver’s door is opened. It switches off au-
tomatically after a period of approximately
40 seconds.

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the
Light-
ing
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Function Surround lighting
.
iIf you turn the exterior lamp switch to
another position, the corresponding
lamp(s) will switch on.
For safety reasons, resetting the Lighting
submenu to factory settings
(
page 131) will not reset the daytime
running lamp mode.
In the display you will then see the mes-
sage:
Lighting
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142 Controls in detailControl system
Pressæ orç to select the de-
sired lamp-on time period. You can se-
lect:

0 s
, the delayed switch-off feature
is deactivated.


5 s,
10 s
, 15 s
or
20 s
, the delayed
switch-off feature is activated.Vehicle submenu
Access the
Vehicle
submenu via the
Set-
tings
menu. Use the
Vehicle
submenu to
make general vehicle settings. The follow-
ing functions are available:
Setting automatic locking
Use this function to activate or deactivate
the automatic central locking. With the au-
tomatic central locking system activated,
the vehicle is centrally locked at vehicle
speeds of approximately 9 mph
(15 km/h).

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the Vehicle
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Automatic door lock
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to switch
Automat-
ic door lock
on or
off
.
Function
Page
Set automatic locking
see
below
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143 Controls in detail
Control system
Convenience submenu
Access the
Convenience
submenu via the
Settings
menu. Use the
Convenience
sub-
menu to change the settings for a number
of convenience features. The following
functions are available:
Activating easy-entry/exit feature*
Use this function to activate and deacti-
vate the easy-entry/exit feature. When the
feature is activated, the steering wheel and
driver’s seat will move back to facilitate ex-
iting when you


remove the key from the starter switch


open the driver’s door
However, the engine must be turned off.After entering the vehicle, the steering
wheel and seat will move into the position
stored in memory when


the driver’s door is closed


you put the key in the starter switch


you press the appropriate stored posi-
tion button on the memory switch
(page 110).

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to
the
Convenience
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Function Easy-entry feature
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
Function
Page
Activate easy-entry/exit feature
see
below
Set key dependency
144
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
144
Warning!
G
You must ensure that no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and the driver’s seat when the
easy-entry/exit feature is in operation and
the driver’s door is being opened or the key
is removed from the starter switch. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle, or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause serious personal injury.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, or with access to an unlocked vehicle.
Children could open the driver’s door and
unintentionally activate the easy-entry/exit
feature, which could result in an accident or
serious injury.
iTo cancel seat/steering wheel move-
ment, do one of the following:

Press seat adjustment switch
(page 35).


Move the steering column stalk
(page 38).


Press the memory switch
(page 110).
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151 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
Information for driving with an automatic
transmission is found in the "Getting start-
ed" section (
page 43).
Your transmission adapts its gear shifting
process to your individual driving style by
continually adjusting the shift points up or
down. These shift point adjustments are
performed based on current operating and
driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the au-
tomatic transmission reacts by adjusting
its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on


the selector lever positionD with gear
ranges4, 3, 2, 1 (
page 153)


the selected shift program (W/S)
(page 155)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 156)


the vehicle speed
The current selector lever position and
shift program (W/S) appear in the speed-
ometer display (
page 121).
An additional indication of the current se-
lector lever position can be found on the
cover of the shifting-gate. The indicators
come on when you activate a switch (e.g.
unlocking the vehicle or opening a door)
and go out after approximately 15 min-
utes.When the selector lever is in positionD,
you can influence transmission shifting by


limiting the gear range


changing gears yourself
iDuring the brief warm-up, the transmis-
sion upshifting is delayed. This allows
the catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperatures.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the selector lever out
of P or N if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.
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154 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionGear selector lever position
Effect
P
Park position
Selector position when the vehicle
is parked. Only place selector lever
in positionP when vehicle is
stopped. The park position is not in-
tended to serve as a brake when
the vehicle is parked. Rather, the
driver should always set the park-
ing brake in addition to placing the
selector lever in positionP to se-
cure the vehicle.
The key can only be removed from
the starter switch with the selector
lever in positionP. With the key re-
moved the selector lever is locked
in positionP.
Effect
R
Reverse gear
Place selector lever in positionR only
when vehicle is stopped.
N
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the en-
gine to the drive axle. When the
brakes are released, the vehicle can
be moved freely (pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the transmission,
never engageN while driving.
If the ESP is deactivated or malfunc-
tioning:
Only move selector lever toN if the
vehicle is in danger of skidding (e.g.
on icy roads).
D
Drive
The transmission shifts automatical-
ly. All five forward gears are avail-
able.
!Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any
other reason with 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 selector
lever not fully engaged in positionP is dan-
gerous. Also, positionP alone is not intend-
ed to or capable of preventing your vehicle
from moving, possibly hitting people or ob-
jects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP (
page 45).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
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155 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Program mode selector switch
1Program mode selector switch
S Standard For regular driving
W Winter For winter driving

Press the program mode selector
switch repeatedly until the letter of the
desired shift program appears in the
speedometer display field
(page 121).
Select
Wfor winter driving:


The vehicle starts out in second
gear (both forward and reverse) for
gentler starts. This does not apply if
full throttle is applied or gear
range1 is selected.


Traction and driving stability are im-
proved on icy roads.


Upshifts occur earlier even when
you give more gas. The engine then
operates at lower rpms and the
wheels are less likely to spin.


The power transmission ratio for se-
lector lever positionR changes de-
pending on the program mode
selected (
W or
S).
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle always remove the
key from the starter switch, take the Smart-
Key with KEYLESS-GO* (if so equipped) with
you and lock the vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Children could
move the selector lever from positionP,
which could result in an accident or serious
injury.
!Never change the program mode when
the selector lever is out of positionP. It
could result in a change of driving char-
acteristics for which you may not be
prepared.
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