MERCEDES-BENZ C320 2005 W203 Owner's Manual

169 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Automatic antiglare rear view mirrors*
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when

the ignition is switched on
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror.
The rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gearR is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!
G
The automatic antiglare function does not
react if incoming light is not aimed directly
at sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window
sunshade* is in raised position.
Glare can endanger you and others.Warning!
G
In the case of an accident liquid electrolyte
may escape from the mirror housing if the
mirror glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not
allow the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your
interior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.!Electrolyte drops coming into contact
with the vehicle paint finish can be
completely removed only while in the
liquid state and by applying plenty of
water.

170 Controls in detailGood visibilityActivating exterior rear view mirror
parking position*
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror
will be turned downward to the stored
position.
The buttons are located above the exterior
lamp switch.
1Driver’s side exterior rear view mirror
button
2Passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror button

Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 108).

Make sure the
Mirror set. parking
aid
function in the
Convenience

submenu of the control system is
switched to
On (page 148).

Switch on ignition (
page 33).

Press button2 for the passenger-side
exterior rear view mirror.

Place the gear selector lever in reverse
gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:


ten seconds after you put the gear
selector lever out of positionR


immediately once your vehicle exceeds
a speed of approx. 6 mph (10 km/h)


immediately when you press button1
for the driver’s side mirror

171 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Sun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visors down when you
experience glare.1Mounting
2Mirror cover
3Mirror lamp
4Sun visor

To use illuminated mirror, lift up
cover2.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
iIf sunlight enters through a side
window, disengage sun visor from
mounting1 and pivot to the side.
The mirror lamp3 will switch off.

172 Controls in detailGood visibilityRear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch

Switch on ignition (
page 33).
Always raise the sunshade fully for its
support against the window frame.
Raising the sunshade

Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is raised completely.
Stopping the raising procedure

Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
Lowering the sunshade

Press switch1 briefly.
The sunshade is lowered completely.
Stopping the lowering procedure

Press switch1 again.
The sunshade stops.
!Make sure that the movement of the
rear window sunshade is not restricted
by objects on the rear window shelf.
Otherwise, the sunshade or the objects
could be damaged.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
make sure there is no danger of anyone be-
ing harmed by the raising or lowering proce-
dure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be
immediately halted by briefly pressing the
switch.
Briefly press switch again to raise or lower
the rear window sunshade completely.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, 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.

173 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the
defroster as soon as the rear window is
clear. The defroster is automatically
deactivated after approximately
6 to 17 minutes of operation depending on
the outside temperature.Activating

Press buttonF in the climate
control panel (
page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press buttonF again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before
driving. Visibility could otherwise be
impaired, endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts flashing, this means that too
many electrical consumers are
operating simultaneously and there is
insufficient 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
automatically turns itself back on.

174 Controls in detailClimate control

175 Controls in detail
Climate control
Climate control panel
Item
1
Left side defroster vent, fixed
2
Left side air vent, adjustable
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left side air vent
4
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
5
Left center air vent, adjustable
6
Right center air vent, adjustable
7
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
8
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right side air vent
9
Right side air vent, adjustable
a
Right side defroster vent, fixed
b
Climate control panel
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the
sliders for the side air vents2 and9
and center air vents5 and 6 to the
middle position.
Item
1
Air volume control
2
Left side temperature control
3
Right side temperature control
4
Air distribution control
5
Rear window defroster
6
AC cooling on/off (AC
OFF
)
7
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic mode)
8
Air recirculation
9
Defrosting

176 Controls in detailClimate controlThe climate control is operational when-
ever the engine is running. You can oper-
ate the climate control system in either the
automatic or manual mode. The system
cools or heats the interior depending on
the selected interior temperature and the
current outside temperature.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 modeAC
OFF
is selected
(
page 181).
Warning!
G
When operating the climate control, the air
that enters the passenger compartment
through the air vents in the footwell can be
very hot or very cold (depending on the set
temperature). This may cause burns or frost-
bite on unprotected skin in the immediate
area of the air vents. Always keep sufficient
distance between unprotected parts of the
body and the footwell air vents. If necessary,
change the air flow using the air distribution
controls to direct the air away from the foot-
well air vents (
page 178).
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
pollution) may require replacement of
the filter 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
“Opening (Summer opening feature)”
(page 229).
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
Do not obstruct air flow by placing
objects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.

177 Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating the climate control system
Deactivating
Set air volume control1 (
page 175)
to position0.
Reactivating

Set air volume control1 (
page 175)
to any speed.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls2 and3
(page 175) 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).Increasing

Turn temperature control2 or3
slightly to the right.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Decreasing

Turn temperature control2 or3
slightly to the left.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
iWhen the air conditioning is switched
off, the outside air supply and circula-
tion are also switched off. Only choose
this setting for a short time. Otherwise
the windows could fog up.
iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.

178 Controls in detailClimate controlAdjusting air distribution and volume
Use air distribution control4
(page 175) to adjust the air distribution.
The following symbols are found on the
controls:
Use the air volume control1
(page 175) to adjust the air volume. You
can select between six air volume speeds.Adjusting manually

Press buttonU (
page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Select any of the six air volume speeds
and the air distribution.
Adjusting automatically

Press buttonU (
page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The temperature, air distri-
bution and volume are adjusted auto-
matically.
Windshield fogged on the outside

Switch the windshield wipers on
(page 51).

Switch to manual mode.

Turn the air distribution control
toa orY.
Defrosting
Activating
Press buttonP (
page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning switches
automatically to the following functions:


maximum blowing and heating
power


air flows onto the windshield and
the front side windows


the air recirculation mode is
switched off
Symbol
Function
Z
Directs air to the windshield
and the side defroster vents
b
Directs air into the entire
vehicle interior
Y
Directs air to the footwells
a
Directs air through the center,
side and rear passenger
compartment air vents
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.