lights MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON 2008 Owner's Manual

Lights
99Lights
Light switch
For reasons of safety, Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you drive with the lights switched
on even during the daytime. In some coun-
tries, daytime operation of headlamps varies
due to legal requirements and self-imposed
obligations. In these countries, the dipped-
beam headlamps are automatically switched
on when the engine is started.
i If you drive in countries in which traffic
drives on the opposite side of the road to
the country where the vehicle is registered,
oncoming traffic may be dazzled by the
asymmetrical dipped-beam headlamps.
Have the headlamps changed to symmet-
rical dipped beam when driving in these
countries. You can obtain information
about this from any Mercedes-Benz Service
Centre. $
a
Left-hand parking lamp
% g
Right-hand parking lamp
& M
Lights off/constant headlamp mode
( U
Automatic headlamp mode/con-
stant headlamp mode
) C
Side lamps, licence plate and instru-
ment lighting
* B
Dipped-beam headlamps or main-
beam headlamps
, ¥
Foglamps
. †
Rear foglamp
i The exterior lighting automatically
switches off when you remove the key from
the ignition lock or open the door while the
ignition is switched off (ignition key in posi-
tion 0). !
Switch off the side lamps or parking lamp
when you leave the vehicle. This prevents
the battery from discharging.
Dipped-beam headlamps X
Make sure that the key is in position 2of
the ignition lock or that the engine is run-
ning.
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
B.
The dipped-beam headlamps, parking
lamps and licence plate lamps are switched
on. The green dipped-beam indicator lamp
in the instrument cluster light up.
Constant headlamp mode In countries in which constant headlamp
mode is not a legal requirement, you can
make this setting using the on-board com-
puter.
You can activate or deactivate "constant
headlamp mode" using the on-board com-
puter (Y page 135). Controls
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Lights
100
X
To switch on: turn the light switch to
M orU.
The dipped-beam headlamps, side lamps
and licence plate lamp are switched on
when the engine is running.
i When you turn the light switch to any
position other than MorU, the cor-
responding light goes on.
Automatic headlamp mode The side lamps, dipped-beam headlamps and
licence plate lamp are switched on or off
automatically, depending on the brightness of
the ambient light. G
Risk of accident
When the light switch is set to U, the
lights are not switched on automatically in
foggy conditions. This could endanger you
and others. Therefore, turn the light switch
to B in darkness and fog.
Automatic headlamp mode is only a driving
aid. You are responsible for the vehicle
lighting at all times. G
Risk of accident
When it is dark or foggy, turn the light
switch from UtoB in good time. You
could otherwise cause an accident if the
headlamps were to switch off temporarily.
X To switch on: turn the light switch to
U.
The side lamps are switched on and off
automatically when the key is in position
1 in the ignition lock.
The dipped-beam headlamps, side lamps
and licence plate lamp are switched on
automatically when the engine is running.
When the dipped-beam headlamps are
switched on, the green dipped-beam indi-
cator lamp in the instrument cluster lights
up.
Front foglamps/Rear foglamp G
Risk of accident
If you suspect that driving conditions will be
foggy, turn the light switch to Bbefore
you start your journey. Otherwise, your
vehicle may not be visible and you could
therefore endanger yourself and others. G
Risk of accident
When it is dark or foggy, turn the light
switch from UtoB in good time. You
could otherwise cause an accident if the
headlamps were to switch off temporarily.
When the light switch is set to Uyou can-
not switch on the front or rear foglamps.
X Make sure that the key is in position 2in
the ignition lock.
X To switch on the front foglamps: turn the
light switch to the BorC position.
X Pull the light switch out to the first stop.
The ¥ green indicator lamp next to the
light switch lights up.
X To switch on the rear foglamp: turn the
light switch to BorC.
X Pull the light switch out to the second
detent.
The † yellow indicator lamp next to the
light switch lights up.
X To switch off the front foglamps/rear
foglamps: push in the light switch to the
stop.
The corresponding indicator lamp goes out. Controls
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Lights
101Combination switch (turn signals,
main-beam headlamps and headlamp
flasher)
Turn signal Combination switch
1
Right-hand turn signal
2 Left-hand turn signal
X To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 1or2.
The corresponding turn signal indicator
lamp K orL in the instrument clus-
ter flashes.
i If you only wish to indicate a minor change
of direction, press the combination switch briefly in the appropriate direction. The cor-
responding turn signal flashes three times.
Main-beam headlamps/headlamp flas-
her Combination switch
1
Main-beam headlamp
2 Headlamp flasher Main-beam headlamp
X
Make sure that the key is in position 2of
the ignition lock or that the engine is run-
ning.
X Turn the light switch to BorU 16
.
X To switch on: press the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 1.
The main-beam indicator lamp Ain the
instrument cluster lights up.
X To switch off: move the combination
switch back to its normal position.
The main-beam indicator lamp Ain the
instrument cluster goes out.
Headlamp flasher
X To switch on: briefly pull the combination
switch in the direction of arrow 2.
16 In the Uposition, the main-beam headlamps are only switched on when it is dark. Controls
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Lights
102 Hazard warning lamps
Centre console
1
Hazard warning lamp button
X To activate: press hazard warning lamp
button 1.
All turn signals flash. If you now activate a
turn signal, only those turn signal lamps on
the corresponding side of the vehicle will
flash.
X To deactivate: press hazard warning lamp
button 1. Adjusting the headlamp range (vehi-
cles with halogen headlamps)
The headlamp range control allows you to
adjust the cone of light from the headlamps
according to how your vehicle is laden.
You can only adjust the headlamp range while
the engine is running. Saloon
1
Thumbwheel for headlamp range Position Load
0 Front seats occupied
1 Front and rear seats occupied Position Load
2 Front and rear seats occu-
pied, boot laden
3 Driver's seat or both front
seats occupied, boot laden
Estate
1
Thumbwheel for headlamp range Controls
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Lights
103Position Load
-1 Front and rear seats occupied
or
Front and rear seats occu-
pied, luggage compartment
laden
0 Front seats occupied
1 Driver's seat occupied, lug-
gage compartment laden
X
Turn thumbwheel for headlamp range 1to
the position which corresponds to the load
in your vehicle. Headlamp cleaning system*
The headlamps are cleaned automatically if
the "Wipe with windscreen washer fluid" func-
tion is operated five times while the lights are
on and the engine is running. When you
switch off the ignition, the automatic head-
lamp cleaning system is reset and counting is
resumed from 0. Intelligent Light System* (vehicles
with bi-xenon headlamps*)
The Intelligent Light System adapts the light-
ing of the front headlamps to the prevailing
driving conditions so that the road is illumi-
nated better.
i The Intelligent Light System is only active
when it is dark.
The Intelligent Light System comprises:
R Active light function
R Cornering light function
R Motorway mode
R Extended range foglamps Active light function For the active light function, the dipped-beam
headlamps swivel horizontally. The swivel
angle changes according to the respective
driving situation. The active light function is
not active when the vehicle is stationary.
Cornering light function
Specially designed headlamps light up the
area into which you are driving when turning
corners.
If you are driving at speeds below 40 km/h,
the cornering light function is activated either
by the turn signals or when the steering wheel
is turned. If you are driving at speeds above
40 km/h the cornering light function is deac-
tivated.
Switching on
X
Make sure that the engine is running.
X Switch on the dipped-beam headlamps.
X Switch off the fog lights.
X Switch on the turn signal.
The cornering light on the same side as the
turn signal comes on, even if you turn the
steering wheel in the opposite direction
after indicating. Controls
* optional
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Lights
104
or
X
Turn the steering wheel in the desired
direction.
When in a forwards gear: the cornering
lamp on the inside of the bend comes on.
When in reverse gear: the cornering light on
the outside of the bend comes on.
Switching off
X Turn the steering wheel back to the straight
ahead position.
The turn signal switches off. The cornering
lamp may remain lit for a short time.
or
X Switch off the turn signal.
The cornering lamp may remain lit for a
short time.
The cornering light will go out after a maxi-
mum of three minutes.
Motorway mode Motorway mode optimises the illumination of
the road by:
R controlling the brightness
R adapting the headlamp range Motorway mode is activated if you are driving
faster than 110 km/h and do not make any
large steering movements for 1,000 m.
Extended range foglamps The extended range foglamps reduce the
glare experienced by the driver and improve
the illumination of the edge of the carriage-
way.
X To switch on: switch on the rear foglamp.
The front foglamps and the rear foglamp
are switched on. The extended range fog-
lamps are activated if you are driving slower
than 70 km/h.
X To switch off: switch off the rear foglamp.
i The extended range foglamps switch off
automatically when you drive faster than
100 km/h. Interior lighting
Front overhead control panel Front overhead control panel
1
X To switch the left-hand reading lamp
on/off
2 ò To switch the rear interior lighting
on/off
3 ¡ To switch the automatic function
on/off
4 X To switch the right-hand reading
lamp on/off
5 ð To switch the front interior lighting
on/off Controls
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Driving and pa
rking 111
Manual transmission
X
Shift to neutral.
X Depress the parking brake (Y page 113).
Further information about the manual trans-
mission (Y page 115). Automatic transmission* P
Park position with selector lever lock
R Reverse gear
N Neutral
D Drive position
X Before starting, make sure Pis selected.
i The engine can also be started when the
selector lever is in position N.
Further information about the automatic
transmission (Y page 115).
Starting the engine with the key i
Vehicles with automatic transmission*:
You can also use the "touch-start" function.
To do this, turn the key to position 3and release it immediately. The engine then
starts automatically.
X To start a petrol engine: turn the key to
position 3in the ignition lock (Y page 76)
and release it as soon as the engine is run-
ning.
X To start a diesel engine: turn the key to
position 2in the ignition lock (Y page 76).
The q preglow indicator lamp in the
instrument cluster lights up.
X When the qpreglow indicator lamp
goes out, turn the key to position 3
(Y page 76) and release it.
The engine starts automatically.
i You can start the engine without preglow
if the engine is warm.
Starting the engine with KE YLESS GO* G
Risk of injury
Your vehicle can be started using a valid
KEYLESS GO key*. For this reason, children
should never be left unsupervised in the
vehicle. Always take the KEYLESS GO
key* with you when leaving the vehicle, Cont
rols
* optional
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Driving and pa
rking 113
Automatic transmission* i
It is only possible to move the selector
lever to the desired position if you depress
the brake pedal. Only then is the selector
lever lock released.
X Depress the brake pedal and hold it down.
X Pull the parking brake release handle to
release the parking brake.
X Move the selector lever to position Dor R.
i Wait for the shift process to complete
before pulling away.
X Release the brake pedal.
X Carefully depress the accelerator pedal.
i Upshifts take place at higher engine
speeds after a cold start. This helps the
catalytic converter to reach its operating
temperature more quickly. Parking
G
Risk of accident
Only remove the key from the ignition lock
when the vehicle is stationary since you
cannot steer the vehicle with the key
removed.
Never leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle. They could release the parking
brake. This could lead to a serious or fatal
accident. G
Risk of fire
Make sure that the exhaust system does
not under any circumstances come into
contact with easily ignitable material such
as dry grass or petrol. The material could
otherwise ignite and set the vehicle on fire. Parking brake 1
Release handle
2 Parking brake
X To release: depress the brake pedal and
keep it depressed.
On vehicles with automatic transmission*,
the selector lever lock is released.
X Pull release handle 1.
X The 3 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster goes out.
X To apply: depress parking brake 2firmly.
The 3 indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster lights up if the engine is running.
i On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the kerb. Controls
* optional
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Instrument cluster
120 Instrument cluster
Points to remember
You will find a full overview of the instrument
cluster in the "At a glance" section
(Y page 26). G
Risk of accident
No further messages can be displayed if the
instrument cluster and/or the multi-func-
tion display fails.
This means that you will not see information
about the driving situation, such as the
speed, outside temperature, warning/indi-
cator lamps, display messages or system
failures. The vehicle's handling character-
istics may be affected. Adjust your driving
style and speed accordingly.
Immediately consult a qualified specialist
workshop which has the necessary special-
ist knowledge and tools to carry out the
work required. Mercedes-Benz recom-
mends that you use a Mercedes-Benz
Service Centre for this purpose. In particu-
lar, work relevant to safety or on safety-
related systems must be carried out at a
qualified specialist workshop. Activating the multi-function display
X Switch on the ignition. 1
Reset button
The multi-function display also switches on
when you
R press reset button 1
R open a door
R switch on the lights Adjusting the instrument cluster
lighting
X Brighter or dimmer: turn reset button
1 clockwise or anti-clockwise. Coolant temperature gauge
The coolant temperature gauge is in the
instrument cluster on the right-hand side.
Under normal operating conditions and with
the specified concentration of antifreeze/
corrosion inhibitor, the coolant temperature
may rise to 120 † The coolant temperature
may rise to the top end of the scale at high
outside temperatures and on long uphill
stretches. Controls
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On-board computer
135
X
Press the èor· button to select the
Settings... menu.
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press the æorç button to select the
Time/Date submenu.
Setting the time
X Use the jbutton to select Clock,
hours Press R to confirm (orClock,
minutes Press R to confirm ).
X Press the æorç button to set a
value.
X Press the reset button on the left of the
instrument cluster.
The set time is stored.
Setting the date
X Press the jbutton to select Set date
Day (orSet date Month orSet date
Year).
X Press the æorç button to set the
values.
X Press the j,èorÿ button to
select a different display. Setting constant headlamp mode If you have set constant headlamp mode and
the light switch is in position MorU,
the side lamps, dipped-beam headlamps and
licence plate lighting are switched on auto-
matically when the engine is running. Turning
the light switch to a different position
switches on the corresponding lights. Make
sure that the light switch is turned to Bor
U if you switch off constant headlamp
mode while driving in the dark.
In countries in which constant headlamp
mode is a legal requirement, Constantis the
factory setting.
X Press the èor· button to select the
Settings... menu.
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press the æorç button to select the
Lighting submenu.
X Press the jbutton to select Headlamp
mode. X
Press the æorç button to set the
mode for the headlamps to ManualorCon-
stant (constant headlamp mode).
X Press the j,èorÿ button to
select a different display.
Switching the surround lighting on or
off If the surround lighting is switched on, the
following lights will be switched on automat-
ically in the dark after you have unlocked the
vehicle using the key:
R
the side lamps
R the tail lamps
R the licence plate lighting
R the front foglamps
The surround lighting switches off automati-
cally if you open the driver's door or after 40
seconds.
X Press èor· to select the Set-
tings... menu.
X Press the jbutton to call up the selec-
tion of submenus.
X Press the æorç button to select the
Lighting submenu. Controls
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