MERCEDES-BENZ E320 2004 W211 Owner's Manual
Page 191 of 442
191 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 buttonO.
The indicator lamp on the button 
comes on.
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 buttonO pressed, the 
side windows and the sliding / pop-up 
roof* or panorama sliding / pop-up 
roof* or will close.
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, for example in a 
tunnel (charcoal filter activated 
(page 192))
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing (page 182) or the outside 
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the 
air recirculation mode will not switch 
on automatically.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows and 
sliding / pop-up roof* or panorama 
sliding / pop-up roof* if there is the possibil-
ity of anyone being harmed by the opening 
or closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger:
Vehicles with sliding/pop-up roof: The pro-
cedure for the windows can be immediately 
halted by pressing or pulling the respective 
window switch. The procedure for the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be immediately halted 
by moving the switch for the sliding/pop-up 
roof in any direction.
The closing of the side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be reversed by again 
pressing and holding theO button. 
Vehicles with panorama sliding/pop-up 
roof: The procedure for the windows and 
panorama sliding/pop-up roof can be imme-
diately halted by releasing theO button. 
Page 192 of 442
192 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Deactivating
Press buttonO.
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 (AC
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 buttone.
The indicator lamp on the button 
comes on.
iIf you keep buttonO pressed, the 
side windows and the sliding / pop-up 
roof* or panorama sliding / pop-up 
roof* will return to their previous posi-
tion.
iIf you keep buttone pressed, the 
side windows and the sliding / pop-up 
roof* or panorama sliding / pop-up 
roof* will close.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and 
sliding / pop-up roof* or panorama 
sliding / pop-up roof* if there is the possibil-
ity of anyone being harmed by the opening 
or closing procedure.
Vehicles with sliding/pop-up roof: The pro-
cedure for the windows can be immediately 
halted by pressing or pulling the respective 
window switch. The procedure for the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be immediately halted 
by moving the switch for the sliding/pop-up 
roof in any direction. 
The closing of the side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be reversed by again 
pressing and holding the ebutton.
Vehicles with panorama sliding/pop-up 
roof: The procedure for the windows and 
panorama sliding/pop-up roof can be imme-
diately halted by releasing the ebutton. 
Page 193 of 442
193 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Deactivating
Press buttone.
The indicator lamp on the button goes 
out.
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.
The automatic air recirculation mode does 
not function if AC
OFF
 mode is selected or if 
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.
Deactivating the climate control sys-
tem
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the automatic 
climate control system.
Press buttonM until the display is 
cleared.
The climate control system is deacti-
vated.Reactivating
Press buttonM again.
iIf you keep buttone pressed, the 
side windows and the sliding / pop-up 
roof* will return to their previous posi-
tion.
iWith the climate control system deacti-
vated, the air flow and circulation are 
switched off.
Only choose this setting temporarily to 
prevent the windows from fogging up. 
Page 194 of 442
194 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*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 button°. 
The indicator lamp on the button° 
comes on.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can 
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press° again. 
The indicator lamp on the°button 
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant 
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs 
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
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 SmartKey in the starter switch 
to position0 or1, or remove it from 
the starter switch.
Press button°.
The indicator lamp on button° 
comes on.
Deactivating
Press button°.
The indicator lamp on button° 
goes out.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and 
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned 
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioning is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioning checked at 
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz 
Center. 
Page 195 of 442
195 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
The residual heat is automatically turned 
off
when the ignition is switched on
after about 30 minutes
if the battery voltage drops
Rear air conditioning
1Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2Right rear center air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control for 
right rear center air vent
4Temperature rocker switch, right
5Display 
6Temperature rocker switch, left
7Thumbwheel for air volume control for 
left rear center air vent
Display1Temperature, left
2Temperature, right
Basic settings
We recommend setting the temperature 
on both the left- and right-hand sides to 
72°F. This ensures a pleasant temperature 
in the rear of the vehicle.
The temperatures for the left- and 
right-hand sides can be set using tempera-
ture rocker switches4 and6.
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 
setting 1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting. 
Page 196 of 442
196 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Adjusting the rear settings with the 
front control panelDisplay
Press the™ button (
page 186).
The display switches over.The temperature for the rear left- and 
right-hand sides of the vehicle can be set 
with temperature rocker switches3 
and5.
The temperature display disappears ap-
proximately five seconds after the last 
SmartKey confirmation and switches back 
to the normal display.
iThe rear air conditioning will not cool 
the air when AC
OFF
 mode has been se-
lected in the front control panel.
iThe normal display will appear when 
the™ button is pressed again. 
Page 197 of 442
197 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 of 
the side windows are on the driver’s door. 
The switches for the respective windows 
are on the front passenger door and the 
rear doors.
1Rear window override switch 
(
page 72)
2Right front window
3Right rear window
4Left rear window
5Left front 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 pulled past the resistance 
point and released, by either pressing or 
pulling the respective switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction 
that blocks its path in a circumstance where 
you pulled 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 
that blocks its path in a circumstance where 
you are closing the window by pulling 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 op-
erate. 
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the 
SmartKey from starter switch, take the 
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and 
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an 
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment can cause an accident 
and/or serious personal injury.iYou can also open or close the win-
dows using the following:
SmartKey (summer opening/con-
venience feature) (
page 199)
ButtonO in the control panel of 
the climate control (
page 176)
Buttone in the control panel of 
the automatic climate control 
(page 186) 
Page 198 of 442
198 Controls in detailPower windows
Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to 
position1 or2 or press the KEY-
LESS-GO* start / stop button once or 
twice.
Opening the windows
Press switch2 to 5 to the resistance 
point.
The corresponding window will move 
downwards until you release the 
switch.
Closing the windows
Pull switch2 to 5 to the resistance 
point.The corresponding window will move 
upwards until you release the switch.
Fully opening the windows 
(Express-open)
Press switch2 to 5 past the resis-
tance point and release.
The corresponding window opens com-
pletely.
Fully closing the windows 
(Express-close)
Pull switch2 to 5 past the resis-
tance point and release.The corresponding window closes com-
pletely.
If the upward movement of the window is 
blocked during the closing procedure, the 
window will stop and open slightly.
iYou can still operate the windows when 
the key is in starter switch position0 or 
has been removed:
until the driver’s or front passenger 
door has been opened
though for no more than five min-
utes
Warning
G
If you pull and hold the switch up when clos-
ing the window, and upward movement of 
the window is blocked by some obstruction 
including but not limited to arms, hands, fin-
gers, etc., the automatic reversal will not op-
erate.
Warning!
G
Driver’s door only:
If within five seconds switch is again pulled 
past the resistance point and released, the 
automatic reversal will not operate. 
Page 199 of 442
199 Controls in detail
Power windows
Stopping windows
Press or pull respective switch again.
Opening and closing the windows with 
the SmartKey
The sliding / pop-up roof* (
page 202) or 
panorama sliding / pop-up roof* 
(
page 208) will also be opened or closed 
when the power windows are operated 
with the SmartKey.
Aim transmitter eye at the front door 
handle.
Opening (Summer opening feature)
If the weather is warm, you can ventilate 
the vehicle before driving off by simulta-
neously:
opening the sliding/pop-up roof
opening the side windows
switching on the seat ventilation
To do so, follow the instructions below:
Press and hold button Œ after un-
locking the vehicle.
The windows and sliding / pop-up roof 
or panorama sliding/pop-up roof* be-
gin to open after approximately one 
second.
Release the Œ button to stop proce-
dure.Closing (Convenience feature)
Press and hold button ‹ after lock-
ing the vehicle.
The windows and sliding / pop-up roof 
or panorama sliding/pop-up roof* be-
gin to close after approximately one 
second.
Release the ‹ button to stop proce-
dure.
Make sure all side windows and the 
sliding / pop-up roof or panorama slid-
ing/pop-up roof* are properly closed be-
fore leaving the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or sliding / 
pop-up roof or panorama sliding/pop-up 
roof* if there is the possibility of anyone be-
ing harmed by the opening or closing proce-
dure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the procedure can be imme-
diately halted by releasing the button on the 
SmartKey. To reverse direction of move-
ment, press Œ for opening or ‹ for 
closing. 
Page 200 of 442
200 Controls in detailPower windowsClosing the side windows with KEY-
LESS-GO*
Press and hold lock button at door 
(page 54) until the side windows and 
the sliding / pop-up roof or panorama 
sliding/pop-up roof* are closed.
Synchronizing power windows
The power window must be resynchro-
nized each time 
after the battery has been disconnect-
ed.
if the power windows cannot be fully 
opened (Express-open) or closed (Ex-
press-close).
Synchronizing the power windows
Switch on ignition.
Pull the power window switches until 
the side windows are closed.
Hold the switches for approximately 
one second.
The power windows are synchronized.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows and the 
sliding / pop-up roof*, be sure that there is 
no danger of anyone being harmed by the 
closing procedure.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:
Release the lock button.
Pull on the door handle and hold firmly. 
The side windows and the 
sliding / pop-up roof* will open for as 
long as the door handle is held but the 
door not opened.