lights MERCEDES-BENZ E-CLASS SALOON 2009 Owner's Guide

i
Vehicles for the United Kingdom: this
function is not available.
The Permanent display: function allows
you to choose whether the multi-function dis-
play always shows the outside temperature
or the speed in mph.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Inst. cluster submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Permanent display: function.
You will see the selected setting: outside
temperature orDig. speedo [mph].
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Time/date This submenu is only available on vehicles
with Audio 20.
Your vehicle may be equipped with one of the
following audio systems:
A: Audio 20
B: Audio 50 APS*
C: COMAND APS*
X You can see which audio system is fitted in
your vehicle by referring to the separate
operating instructions.
Depending on the audio system fitted, time
and date are received from GPS satellites and
therefore cannot be set using the on-board
computer. Refer to the following table. A B C
Setting using the on-board com-
puter X
Automatic GPS satellite recep-
tion X X
Set the time zone once – see
separate operating instructions X X In the
Time/date submenu, you can set the
time and date.
Setting the time
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Time/date submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Time: function.
You will see the time currently set.
X Press the abutton to change it.
X Press the =or; button to select the
display to be changed: hours, minutes.
X Press the :or9 button to set the
selected display.
X Press the abutton to store the entry.
Setting the date
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Time/date submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Date: function.
You will see the date currently set.
X Press the abutton to change it.
X Press the =or; button to select the
display to be changed: day, month, year.
X Press the :or9 button to set the
selected display.
X Press the abutton to store the entry.
Lights Switching the daytime driving lights on/
off
If you have activated the
Daytime driving
lamps: function and the light switch is in the
c position the daytime driving lights are
switched on automatically when the engine is 132
On-board computerControls
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running. When it is dark, the side lamps and
the dipped-beam headlamps are switched on
automatically.
In countries where daytime driving lights are
legally required, Onis the factory setting.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Daytime driving lamps function.
You will see the selected setting: onor
off.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Activating/deactivating the Intelligent
Light System*
When you activate the Intell. Light Sys‐
tem: function, you activate the following:
R motorway mode
R active light function
R cornering light function
R extended range foglamps
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Intell. Light System: function.
You will see the selected setting: onor
off.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Tourist mode
This function is only available on vehicles with
the Intelligent Light System.
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 tourist mode activated as close as pos-
sible to the border, before crossing the border
into such countries. This switches the head-
lamps to symmetrical dipped beam. When
using symmetrical beam, the edge of the car-
riageway is not illuminated as widely and as
far ahead as normal. Observe that if tourist
mode is activated not all lighting functions are
available.
If tourist mode is activated, the multi-function
display shows the display message:
Intell. Light System inoperative in
the Light submenu. Motorway mode and the
extended range foglamps are deactivated.
When you are driving back on the same side
of the road as the country where the vehicle
is registered, have tourist mode deactivated
at a qualified specialised workshop as soon
as possible after crossing the border, e.g. at
a Mercedes-Benz Service Centre.
Switching Adaptive Highbeam Assist*
on/off
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Adaptive Main-beam Assist: function.
You will see the selected setting: onor
off.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Setting the ambient lighting
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Light submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Ambient light Brightness: function.
You will see the selected setting.
X Press the abutton to confirm. On-board computer
133Controls
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X
Press the :or9 button to select
one of the three departure times or Timer
off (no timer active).
X Press the abutton to confirm.
When a departure time is selected, the yel-
low indicator lamp lights up on the auxiliary
heating button.
Changing the departure time
X Press the =or; button to select the
Settings menu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Heating submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
You will see the selected setting.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select
Change A, Bor C.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
You can now change the departure time.
X Press the =or; button to select the
display to be changed: hours, minutes.
X Press the :or9 button to set the
selected display.
X Press the abutton to store the entry.
The yellow indicator lamp on the auxiliary
heating button lights up.
Convenience Activating/deactivating the EASY-
ENTRY/EXIT feature*
You can use the
Easy Entry/Exit: function
to activate or deactivate the easy-entry/exit
feature (Y page 85). G
Risk of injury
The steering wheel moves when the EASY-
ENTRY/EXIT feature is active. There is a risk
of occupants becoming trapped. Before acti-
vating the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature, make
sure that nobody can become trapped.
Do not leave children unsupervised in the
vehicle, even if they are secured in a child restraint system. The children could open the
driver's door and thereby unintentionally acti-
vate the EASY-ENTRY/EXIT feature and
become trapped.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Convenience submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Easy Entry/Exit: function.
You will see the selected setting: onor
off.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Switching the belt adjustment on/off
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Convenience submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Belt adjustment: function.
You will see the selected setting: onor
off.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Switching the fold in mirrors when lock-
ing* function on/off
If you switch on the Fold mirrors in when
locking: function, the exterior mirrors fold
in when you lock the vehicle. When you
unlock the vehicle and then open the driver's
or front-passenger door, the exterior mirrors
fold out again.
If you have switched the function on and you
fold the exterior mirrors in using the button
on the door (Y page 86), they will not fold out
automatically. The exterior mirrors can then
only be folded out using the button on the
door. 136
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X
Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Convenience submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Fold in mirrors when locking: func-
tion.
You will see the selected setting: onor
off.
X Press the abutton to save the setting.
Restoring the factory settings For safety reasons, not all functions are reset:
the Limit Speed (winter tyres): func-
tion in permanent Speedtronic can only be set
in the Vehicle submenu. If you want to reset
the Daytime driving lamps: in theLight
submenu, you must turn the key in the igni-
tion lock to position 1.
X Press the =or; button on the steer-
ing wheel to select the Settingsmenu.
X Press the :or9 button to select the
Factory setting submenu.
X Press the abutton to confirm.
The Reset all settings? message
appears.
X Press the :or9 button to select
Yes orNo.
X Press the abutton to confirm the selec-
tion.
If you have selected Yes, the multi-function
display shows a confirmation message. Driving systems
Overview of driving systems
The vehicle's driving systems are described
on the following pages:
R cruise control, Distronic Plus* and Speed-
tronic, which are used to control the speed
of the vehicle
R HOLD function, which makes pulling away
easier, particularly on steep uphill gradi-
ents
R RACE START (E 63 AMG), which makes pull-
ing away on race tracks easier
R AIRMATIC* (except E 63 AMG), which is
used to adjust the vehicle's suspension
system
R AMG RIDE CONTROL sports suspension
(E 63 AMG), which is used to adjust the
vehicle's suspension system
R 4MATIC* (permanent four-wheel drive), for
optimum traction
R PARKTRONIC* and Parking Guidance*,
which assist you in finding a parking space,
as well as when manoeuvring and parking
R reversing camera*, which assists you when
parking and manoeuvring
R ATTENTION ASSIST, which helps you
detect tiredness or increasing lapses in
concentration
R Speed Limit Assist*, which shows you
speed limits that are detected in the multi-
function display
R Night View Assist Plus*, which assists you
when driving in the dark
R lane package*, which assists you with Blind
Spot Assist when changing lanes and warns
you against leaving your lane unintention-
ally with Lane Keeping Assist
The ABS, BAS, BAS PLUS*, adaptive brake
lights, ESP ®
, EBV and ADAPTIVE BRAKE driv-
ing safety systems and the PRE-SAFE ® Driving systems
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Adjustment in 10 km/h increments
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever
beyond the pressure point, up :for a
higher speed or down ?for a lower speed.
The last speed stored is increased or
reduced.
Deactivating cruise control There are several ways to deactivate cruise
control:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards B.
or
X Brake.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow A.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp ;in the cruise control lever
lights up.
Cruise control is automatically deactivated if:
R you depress the parking brake.
R you drive at less than 30 km/h
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
R you change into neutral in a vehicle with
manual transmission while driving or if the
clutch is depressed for longer than 6 sec-
onds
R on vehicles with manual transmission, you
shift to a higher gear and as a result the
engine speed is too low
R you move the selector lever to Non vehi-
cles with automatic transmission* while
driving
If cruise control is deactivated, you will hear
a warning tone. You see the Cruise con‐
trol off message in the multi-function dis-
play for approximately five seconds.
i The last speed stored is cleared when you
switch off the engine. Distronic Plus*
i Distronic Plus is not available in all coun-
tries.
Distronic Plus regulates the speed and auto-
matically maintains the distance to the vehi-
cle in front. It brakes automatically in order
to avoid exceeding the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must
select shift range 1,2or 3in good time. By
doing so, you will make use of the braking
effect of the engine, which relieves the load
on the brake system and prevents the brakes
from overheating and wearing too quickly. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid. G
Risk of accident
Distronic Plus is only an aid designed to assist
driving. The driver is fully responsible for the
vehicle's distance from other vehicles, the
vehicle's speed and for braking in good time.
Distronic Plus does not react to:
R pedestrians
R stationary obstacles on the road, e.g. stop-
ped or parked vehicles
R oncoming and crossing traffic
Distronic Plus may not detect narrow vehicles
driving in front, e.g. motorcycles, or vehicles
driving on a different line. Therefore, always
pay attention to traffic conditions even when
Distronic Plus is activated. Otherwise, you
may fail to recognise dangers in time, cause
an accident and injure yourself and others.
If a slower-moving vehicle is detected in front,
Distronic Plus causes your vehicle to brake
and maintain a preset distance to the vehicle
in front. 140
Driving systemsCont
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G
Risk of accident
Distronic Plus cannot take account of road
and traffic conditions. If Distronic does not
recognise or no longer recognises the vehicle
in front, do not activate Distronic or, if it is
already active, deactivate it. This is especially
the case:
R before corners
R in filter lanes
R when changing to a lane with faster moving
traffic
R in complex driving situations or where the
lanes are diverted, e.g. at motorway/road-
way construction sites
Otherwise, Distronic Plus maintains the cur-
rent speed or accelerates up to the set speed.
Distronic Plus cannot take account of weather
conditions. Deactivate, or do not activate,
Distronic Plus:
R if the roads are slippery, snow-covered or
icy. The wheels could lose their grip when
braking or accelerating. The vehicle could
start to skid.
R if the sensors are dirty or there is poor vis-
ibility, e.g. due to snow, rain or fog. Dis-
tance control may be impaired.
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even when Distronic Plus is activated. Other-
wise, you may fail to recognise dangers in
time, cause an accident and injure yourself
and others.
The radar sensor system is automatically
deactivated near radio telescope facilities
(Y page 362).
If you want Distronic Plus to assist you, the
radar sensor system must be activated and
operational.
If no car is driving in front of you, Distronic
Plus works like cruise control in the speed
range between 30 km/h and 200 km/h. If a
vehicle is driving in front of you, Distronic Plus
works in the speed range between 0 km/h
and 200 km/h. Do not use Distronic Plus while driving on
roads with steep gradients. G
Risk of accident
Distronic Plus brakes your vehicle at a maxi-
mum of 4m/s2
depending on its speed. This
corresponds to approximately 40% of your
vehicle's maximum brake force. You must
also apply the brakes yourself if this braking
power is not sufficient.
If Distronic Plus detects a risk of collision with
a vehicle in front, an intermittent warning tone
sounds. In addition, the ·distance warn-
ing lamp in the instrument cluster lights up.
Brake to avoid a collision.
Cruise control lever With the cruise control lever you can operate
Distronic Plus and variable Speedtronic.
The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off:
Distronic Plus is selected.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected. :
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; To adjust the specified distance
= LIM indicator lamp
? To store the current speed or call up the
last stored speed
A To store the current speed or a lower
speed Driving systems
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:
Symbol for activated PRE-SAFE ®
Brake
; Vehicle in front, if detected
= Distance indicator, displaying current dis-
tance to the vehicle in front
? Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
A Own vehicle
Display when Distronic Plus is switched
on
X Select the Distance display function
using the on-board computer
(Y page 130).
You will see the stored speed for about five
seconds when you activate Distronic Plus.
After this time you will see the following in the
multi-function display while Distronic Plus is
activated: :
Distronic Plus activated
; Own vehicle
= Specified minimum distance to the vehi-
cle in front, adjustable
? Vehicle in front, if detected Deactivating Distronic Plus
There are several ways to deactivate Dis-
tronic Plus:
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever for-
wards :.
or
X Brake, unless the vehicle is stationary.
or
X Briefly press the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow =.
Variable Speedtronic is selected. LIM indi-
cator lamp ;in the cruise control lever
lights up.
i The last speed stored remains stored until
you switch off the engine.
i Distronic Plus is not deactivated if you
depress the accelerator pedal. If you accel-
erate briefly to overtake, Distronic Plus
adjusts the vehicle's speed to the last
speed stored after you have finished over-
taking.
Distronic Plus is automatically deactivated if:
R you depress the parking brake.
R you are driving slower than 25 km/h and
there is no vehicle in front, or the vehicle in
front is no longer detected.
R ESP ®
intervenes or you deactivate ESP ®
.
R you shift the automatic transmission* to
N, Por R. 146
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of its narrow width. The distance to the vehi-
cle in front will be too short.
Obstructions and stationary vehicles Distronic Plus does not brake for obstacles or
stationary vehicles. For example, if the detec-
ted vehicle turns a corner and reveals an
obstacle or stationary vehicle, Distronic Plus
will not brake for these.
Crossing vehicles Distronic Plus may detect vehicles that are
crossing your lane by mistake. Activating Dis-
tronic Plus at traffic lights with crossing traf-
fic, for example, could cause your vehicle to
pull away unintentionally. Speedtronic
Speedtronic brakes automatically so that you
do not exceed the set speed. On long and
steep downhill gradients, especially if the
vehicle is laden or towing a trailer, you must
shift to a lower gear in good time or select
shift range 1,2or 3on vehicles with auto- matic transmission*. By doing so, you will
make use of the braking effect of the engine,
which relieves the load on the brake system
and prevents the brakes from overheating
and wearing too quickly. If you need addi-
tional braking, depress the brake pedal
repeatedly rather than continuously. G
Risk of accident
Never depress the brake pedal continuously
while the vehicle is in motion, e.g. never cause
the brakes to rub by applying constant slight
pedal pressure. This causes the brake system
to overheat, increases the braking distance
and can lead to the brakes failing completely. G
Risk of accident
Do not change down for additional engine
braking on a slippery road surface. This could
cause the drive wheels to lose their grip and
the vehicle could skid.
You can set a variable or permanent limit
speed:
R variable for speed limits, e.g. in built-up
areas
R permanent for long-term speed restric-
tions, e.g. for driving on winter tyres
(Y page 150) G
Risk of accident
Speedtronic is only an aid designed to assist
driving. You are responsible for the vehicle's
speed and for braking in good time.
i The speed indicated in the speedometer
may differ slightly from the limit speed
stored.
Variable Speedtronic With the cruise control lever, you can operate
cruise control, Distronic Plus* and variable
Speedtronic.148
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The LIM indicator lamp on the cruise control
lever indicates which system you have selec-
ted:
R
LIM indicator lamp off:
Cruise control or Distronic Plus* is selec-
ted.
R LIM indicator lamp lit:
Variable Speedtronic is selected.
You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/hw hile
the engine is running. :
To store the current speed or a higher
speed
; LIM indicator lamp
= To store the current speed or to call up
the last stored speed
? To store the current speed or a lower
speed
A To switch between cruise control or Dis-
tronic Plus* and variable Speedtronic
B To deactivate variable Speedtronic
Selecting variable Speedtronic X
Check whether LIM indicator lamp ;is on.
If it is on, variable Speedtronic is already
selected.
If it is not, press the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow A.
LIM indicator lamp ;in the cruise control
lever lights up. Variable Speedtronic is
selected. G
Risk of accident
If there is a change of drivers, advise the new
driver of the limit speed stored.
Only use Speedtronic when you do not have
to accelerate suddenly to a speed higher than
the stored limit speed allows. You could, oth-
erwise, cause an accident.
You can only exceed the limit speed stored if
you deactivate variable Speedtronic:
R using the cruise control lever
R by depressing the accelerator pedal
beyond the pressure point (kickdown)
It is not possible to deactivate variable Speed-
tronic by braking.
Storing the current speed You can use the cruise control lever to limit
the speed to any speed above 30 km/h while
the engine is running.
X
Briefly press the cruise control lever
up : or down ?to the pressure point.
The current speed is stored and shown in
the multi-function display.
The segments in the multi-function display
light up from the start of the scale up to the
stored speed.
Storing the current speed or calling up
the last stored speed G
Risk of accident
Only select a stored speed if you know what
that speed is and whether it is suitable for the
current driving and traffic situation. Other-
wise, sudden braking could endanger you or
others.
X Briefly pull the cruise control lever towards
you =. Driving systems
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message in the multi-function display goes
out. On vehicles with automatic transmis-
sion*, you can also select
P. This deactivates
the HOLD function. RACE START (E 63 AMG)
RACE START enables optimal acceleration
from a standing start with suitable high-grip
road surface conditions. G
Risk of accident
RACE START is only available when ESP ®
Sports mode is activated. ESP ®
Sport stabil-
ises the vehicle in a limited manner if the vehi-
cle starts to skid or when a wheel is spinning.
RACE START should only be used on closed
off circuits. Always adapt your driving style to
suit the prevailing road and weather condi-
tions.
Conditions for activation RACE START can be activated when:
R
the doors are closed
R the engine is running and it has reached an
operating temperature of approximately
80 †. This is the case when the engine oil
temperature lamp in the multi-function dis-
play stops flashing.
R ESP ®
Sport is activated (Y page 62)
R the steering wheel is in the straight-ahead
position
R the vehicle is at rest and the brake pedal is
depressed (left foot)
R the transmission is in position DActivating RACE START X
Depress the brake pedal with your left foot,
and keep it depressed.
X Turn the program selector switch clock-
wise (Y page 116), until the RSlamp lights
up.
The multi-function display shows the RACE
START Confirm: Paddle UP Cancel:
Paddle DOWN message.
i If the conditions for activation are no lon-
ger fulfilled, RACE START is cancelled. The
multi-function display shows the RACE
START cancelled message.
X To cancel: pull the left paddle
(Y page 114).
or
X To confirm: pull the right paddle
(Y page 114).
The multi-function display shows the RACE
START available Depress accelera‐
tor message.
i If you do not depress the accelerator
pedal fully within two seconds, RACE
START is cancelled. The multi-function dis-
play shows the RACE START not possi‐
ble See Owner's Manual message.
X Depress the accelerator pedal fully.
The engine speed rises to approximately
4,000 rpm.
The multi-function display shows the RACE
START Release brake to start mes-
sage.
i If you do not release the brake pedal
within seven seconds, RACE START is can-
celled. The multi-function display shows
the RACE START cancelled message.
X Take your foot off the brake, but keep the
accelerator pedal depressed.
The vehicle pulls away at maximum accel-
eration.
The multi-function display shows the RACE
START active message. Driving systems
153Controls
* optional
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