MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 2004 C215 Owner's Manual

150 Controls in detailControl systemSetting 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:
LIGHT CIRCUIT HEADLAMP MODE
.
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 exterior lamp switch is
in position U, the locator lighting fea-
ture is activated and the vehicle is un-
locked by remote control:


Parking lamps


Tail lamps


License plate lamps


Front fog lamps
To activate locator lighting:

Make sure the function
LOCATOR
LIGHTING
is set.

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU.
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 146) while driving will not re-
set the daytime running lamp mode.
In the display you will then see the mes-
sage:
LIGHTING – CANNOT BE RESET
COMPLETELY FACTORY SETTINGS WHILE
DRIVING.

151 Controls in detail
Control system
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:
LOCATOR LIGHTING
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to select the de-
sired setting.
The locator lighting will be switched
ON
or
OFF
.Setting night security illumination
(Exterior lights delayed switch-off)
Use the
HEADLAMPS DELAYED SWITCH-OFF

function to set whether and for how long
you would like the exterior lamps to illumi-
nate during darkness after all doors are
closed. When the delayed switch-off fea-
ture is activated and the exterior lamp
switch is in position U before the en-
gine is turned off, the following lamps will
remain lit after you remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch:


Parking lamps


Tail lamps


License plate lamps


Front fog lampsTo activate night security illumination:

Select delayed switch-off period (see
below).

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionU before turning off the en-
gine.
To select delayed switch-off period:

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:
HEADLAMPS DELAYED SWITCH-OFF
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.
iYou can reactivate this function within
ten minutes by opening a door.
If you do not open a door after remov-
ing the SmartKey, the lamps will auto-
matically shut off after 60 seconds.


152 Controls in detailControl system
Pressæ orç to select the de-
sired lamp-on period.
You can select:

0 S
, the delayed switch-off feature
is deactivated


15 S
, 30 S
, 45 S
, or
60 S
, the de-
layed switch-off feature is activated
You can temporarily deactivate the de-
layed switch-off feature:

Before leaving the vehicle, turn the
SmartKey in the starter switch to
position0.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position2 and back to0.
The delayed switch-off feature is deac-
tivated. It will reactivate as soon as you
reinsert the Smartkey in the starter
switch.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop but-
ton on the gear selector lever
(page 33).Interior illumination delayed switch-off
Use this function to set whether and for
how long you would like the interior light-
ing to remain lit during darkness after the
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.

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:
INT. ILLUMINATION DELAYED
SWITCH-OFF
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

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 de-
layed switch-off feature is activat-
ed.


153 Controls in detail
Control system
Vehicle submenu
Access the
VEHICLE
submenu via the
SET-
INGS
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).

Press buttonæ orç to move
the selection marker 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 AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK
ON or
OFF
.Limiting opening height of trunk lid*
This function is available on vehicles with
the trunk lid opening/closing system*.
Use this function to activate or deactivate
the limiting opening height of trunk lid.

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to
VEHICLE

submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:OPENING LIMITER
TRUNK LIDThe selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ orç to switch
the opening limiter for trunk lid
ON
or
OFF
.
Function
Page
Set automatic locking
153
Limiting opening height of trunk
lid*
153

154 Controls in detailControl systemConvenience 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:Setting key-dependency
Use this function to set whether the mem-
ory settings for the seats, the steering
wheel, the mirrors, and the automatic cli-
mate control should be stored separately
for each SmartKey (
page 116).

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:
SETTINGS KEY-DEPENDENT
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to set key-depen-
dency to
ON or
OFF
. 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 facili-
tate exiting when you:


remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch


open the driver’s door.
However, the engine must be turned off.
Function
Page
Setting key-dependency
154
Activating easy-entry / exit fea-
ture
154
Setting parking position for exte-
rior rear view mirrors
156
Setting fold-in function for exteri-
or rear view mirrors
156
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come 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
SmartKey is removed from the starter
switch.

155 Controls in detail
Control system
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 SmartKey in the starter
switch or press the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button*


press and hold the appropriate stored
position button on the memory switch
(page 116).

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:
EASY-ENTRY FEATURE ACTIVATE
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to change the
easy-entry / exit setting.
The following settings are available for the
easy-entry / exit feature:
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
and / or serious personal 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 39)


Press the memory button
(page 116)
OFF
The easy-entry / exit
feature is deactivat-
ed.
STEER. COL.
Only the steering
column is moved.
ST. COL + SEAT
Both the steering
column and the seat
are moved.

156 Controls in detailControl systemSetting parking position for exterior rear
view mirror
Use the
MIRROR SETTING WHEN PARKING

function to select whether the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror should be
turned downward during parking maneu-
vers when reverse gear R is engaged. For
additional information, see “Activating ex-
terior rear view mirror parking position”
(
page 168).

Move the selection marker to
the
CONVENIENCE
submenu using
theæ orç button.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
MIRROR SETTING WHEN PARKING
.The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to switch function ON or
OFF
.
Setting fold-in function for exterior rear
view mirrors
Using this function, you can set the exteri-
or rear view mirrors to be automatically
folded in when you lock your vehicle
(
page 169).

Move the selection marker to the
CON-
VENIENCE
submenu with theæ
orç button.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the message
FOLD IN MIRRORS
WHEN LOCKING?
appears in the display.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press buttonæ or ç to switch
the automatic fold-in setting for the
mirrors
ON or
OFF
when the vehicle is
locked.

157 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Automatic transmission
For more information on driving with an au-
tomatic transmission, see the “Getting
started” section (
page 45).
Your vehicle’s transmission adapts its gear
shifting process to your individual driving
style by continually adjusting the shift
points up or down. These shift point adjust-
ments are performed based on current op-
erating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by adjust-
ing its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:


the gear selector lever positionD with
gear ranges (
page 159)


the selected shift program (C/S)
(page 163)
or
(C/S/M) (CL 55 AMG only)
(page 164)


the position of the accelerator pedal


the vehicle speed
The current gear selector lever position
and shift program (
C/S) or (
C/S/M) appear
in the tachometer display (
page 22).When the gear selector lever is in
positionD, you can influence transmission
shifting by:


limiting the gear range


changing gears manually
iDuring the brief warm-up, transmission
upshifting is delayed. This allows the
catalytic converter to heat up more
quickly to operating temperature.
Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out of P or N if the engine speed is high-
er than idle speed. If your foot is not firmly
on the brake pedal, the vehicle could accel-
erate quickly forward or reverse. You could
lose control of the vehicle and hit someone
or something. Only shift into gear when the
engine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.

158 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionOne-touch gearshifting
Even with an automatic transmission you
can change the gears manually when the
gear selector lever is in positionD.
Downshifting
Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the left in the D-direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next lower gear. This action si-
multaneously limits the gear range of the
transmission (
page 159).Upshifting

Briefly press the gear selector lever to
the right in the D+direction.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear to the next higher gear as permitted
by the shift program. This action simulta-
neously extends the gear range of the
transmission.Canceling gear range limit

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D+direction until
D reappears in
the tachometer display.
The transmission will shift from the current
gear range directly to gear rangeD.
Shifting into optimal gear range

Press and hold the gear selector lever
in the D-direction.
The transmission will automatically select
the gear range suited for optimal accelera-
tion and deceleration. This will involve
shifting down one or more gears.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.
iTo avoid overrevving the engine when
the gear selector lever is moved to the
D–direction, the transmission will not
shift to a lower gear if the engine's
max. speed would be exceeded.

159 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Gear ranges
With the gear selector lever in positionD,
you can limit the transmission’s gear range
by pressing the gear selector lever to the
left (D-), and reverse the gear range limit
by pressing the gear selector lever to the
right (D+).
The selected gear range will appear in the
tachometer display. If you press on the
accelerator when the engine has reached
its rpm limit, the transmission will upshift
beyond any gear range limit selected.
Effect
ï
The transmission shifts through
sixth gear only (applies only to
vehicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission).
î
The transmission shifts through
fifth gear only (applies only to ve-
hicles with 7-speed automatic
transmission).
é
The transmission shifts through
fourth gear only.
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
Effect
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s brak-
ing power when driving

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating con-
ditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.