RDS MERCEDES-BENZ E320 2004 W211 Owner's Manual

15 Introduction
Symbols
Symbols
The following symbols are found in this
Operator’s Manual:
* Optional equipment is identified
with an asterisk. Since standard
equipment varies between models,
the descriptions and illustrations in
this manual may differ slightly from
the actual equipment of your vehi-
cle.

This symbol points to instructions for
you to follow.

A number of these symbols appearing
in succession indicates a multiple-step
procedure.
 Page This symbol tells you where to
look for further information on a
topic.
This continuation symbol marks
an interrupted procedure which
will be continued on the next
page.
-> In the glossary of technical
terms, this symbol is used to in-
dicate cross-references to term
definitions.
DISPLAY
Words appearing in the multi-
function display are printed in
the type shown here.
Warning!
G
Warning notices draw your attention to haz-
ards that may endanger your health or life,
or the health or life of others.!Highlights hazards that may result in
damage to your vehicle.iHelpful hints or further information you
may find useful.

16 IntroductionOperating safety
Operating safety
Proper use of the vehicle
Proper use of the vehicle requires that you
are familiar with the following information
and rules:

the safety precautions in this manual


the “Technical data” section in this
manual


traffic rules and regulations


motor vehicle laws and safety stan-
dards
Warning!
G
Work improperly carried out on electronic
components and associated software could
cause them to cease functioning. Because
the vehicle’s electronic components are in-
terconnected, any modifications made may
produce an undesired effect on other sys-
tems. Electronic malfunctions could seri-
ously impair the operating safety of your
vehicle.
See your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
for repairs or modifications to electronic
components.
Other improper work or modifications on the
vehicle could also have a negative impact on
the operating safety of the vehicle.
Some safety systems only function while the
engine is running. You should therefore nev-
er turn off the engine while driving.
Warning!
G
Heavy blows against the vehicle underbody
or tires / wheels, for example when running
over an obstacle, road debris or a pothole,
may cause serious damage to and impair the
operating safety of your vehicle. If you feel a
sudden strong vibration or ride disturbance,
or you suspect that damage to your vehicle
has occurred, you should turn on your haz-
ard warning flashers, carefully slow down,
and drive with caution to an area which is a
safe distance from the road.
Inspect the vehicle underbody and
tires / wheels for possible damage. If the ve-
hicle appears unsafe, have it towed to the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center
or other qualified maintenance or repair fa-
cility for further inspection or repairs.
Warning!
G
Various warning labels are attached to your
vehicle. These warning labels are intended
to make you and others aware of various
risks. You should not remove any of these
warning labels unless explicitly instructed to
do so by information on the label itself. Re-
moval of any of these labels may cause you
and others to be unaware of certain risks
which may result in an accident and/or per-
sonal injury.

51 Getting started
Parking and locking
Parking and locking
You have now completed your first drive.
You have properly stopped and parked
your vehicle. End your drive as follows.
Parking brake
1Parking brake
2Release handle
Step firmly on parking brake1.
When the engine is running, the warn-
ing lamp ; (USA only) or 3
(Canada only) in the instrument cluster
will be illuminated.
Warning!
G
Wait until the vehicle is stationary before re-
moving the SmartKey from the starter
switch. The vehicle cannot be steered when
the SmartKey is removed.Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury as a re-
sult of vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the selector lever to positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheel towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey to starter switch
position0 and remove, or press
start- / stop button (vehicles with KEY-
LESS-GO*).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* and lock vehicle when
leaving.

52 Getting startedParking and locking
Switching off headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toM
(page 47).
More information can be found in the
“Controls in detail” section (
page 119).
Turning off engine 
Place the gear selector lever in
positionP.
Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Children could release the
parking brake and/or move the gear selec-
tor lever from positionP, either of which
could result in an accident and/or serious
injury.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear se-
lector lever not fully engaged in positionP is
dangerous. Also, when parked on an incline,
positionP alone may not prevent your vehi-
cle from moving, possibly hitting people or
objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to positionP.
When parked on an incline, turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
iAlways set the parking brake in addi-
tion to shifting to positionP.
On steep slopes, turn the front wheels
towards the road curb.

66 Safety and SecurityOccupant safetyTo deactivate, release seat belt buckle and
let seat belt retract completely. The seat
belt can again be used in the usual man-
ner.
iInformation on child seats with mount-
ing fittings for tether anchorages
(page 69).
For information on LATCH-type child
seat mounts (
page 71).
Warning!
G
Never release the seat belt buckle while the
vehicle is in motion, since the special seat
belt retractor will be deactivated.
!The use of infant or child restraints is
required by law in all 50 states, the Dis-
trict of Columbia, the U.S. territories
and all Canadian provinces.
Infants and small children should be
seated in an appropriate infant or child
restraint system properly secured by a
lap-shoulder belt or, if so equipped, a
child restraint lower anchorage system
that complies with U.S. Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and 225
and Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 210.2.
A statement by the child restraint man-
ufacturer of compliance with this stan-
dard can be found on the instruction
label on the restraint and in the instruc-
tion manual provided with the restraint.
When using any infant or child restraint
system, be sure to carefully read and
follow all manufacturer’s instructions
for installation and use.
Please read and observe warning labels
affixed to the inside of the vehicle and
to infant or child restraints.

90 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingRestoring to factory setting
Press and hold buttonsŒ and‹
simultaneously for about six seconds
until battery check lamp5 flashes
twice.
Unlocking and opening the trunk lid
You can unlock and open the trunk sepa-
rately.
A minimum height clearance of 5.90 ft
(1.80 m) is required to open the trunk lid.

Press buttonŠ until trunk unlocks
and begins to open.The trunk can also be opened from its in-
side in an emergency, see “Trunk lid emer-
gency release” (
page 104).
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the SmartKey, then the
batteries in the SmartKey are dis-
charged, the SmartKey is malfunction-
ing or the vehicle battery is drained.

Check the batteries in the Smart-
Key (
page 91) and replace them if
necessary (
page 355).


Use the mechanical key to unlock
the doors (
page 353).


Have the vehicle batteries and their
connections checked.


Use the mechanical key to lock the
doors (
page 353) and the trunk
lid (if applicable) (
page 105).
If the SmartKey is malfunctioning, con-
tact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.
Vehicles with trunk lid opening/closing
system*: to stop the opening proce-
dure, press buttonŠ. The trunk lid
stops moving.
iIf the trunk lid does not open, it is still
locked separately (
page 105).
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk lid will lock automati-
cally when closed (page 99). The
turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.

95 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Unlocking and opening the trunk lid
A minimum height clearance of 5.90 ft
(1.80 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
The handle is located in the rear license
plate recess.
You can unlock and open the trunk lid sep-
arately.
Pull on the handle
or

Press and hold buttonŠ until the
trunk lid unlocks and opens.The trunk can also be opened from the in-
side in an emergency, see “Trunk lid emer-
gency release” (
page 104).
!If you can no longer lock or unlock the
vehicle with the SmartKey with KEY-
LESS-GO, then the batteries in the
SmartKey are discharged, the Smart-
Key with KEYLESS-GO is malfunction-
ing or the vehicle battery is drained.

Check the batteries in the Smart-
Key with KEYLESS-GO (
page 91)
and replace them if necessary
(
page 355).


Use the mechanical key to unlock
the doors (
page 353).


Have the vehicle battery checked
by an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.


Use the mechanical key to lock the
doors (
page 353) and the trunk
lid (if applicable) (
page 105).
If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
malfunctioning, contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.
Vehicles with trunk lid opening/closing
system*: to stop the opening proce-
dure, press buttonŠ on the Smart-
Key. The trunk lid stops moving.iIf the trunk lid does not open, it is still
locked separately (if applicable)
(page 105).
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk lid will lock automati-
cally when closed. The turn signals will
flash three times to confirm locking.

98 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingThe trunk can also be opened using the
SmartKey (
page 90) or from its inside in
an emergency, see “Trunk lid emergency
release” (
page 104).Opening the trunk from the inside
You can open the trunk from the inside if
the vehicle is stationary.
A minimum height clearance of 5.90 ft
(1.80 m) is required to open the trunk lid.
The switch is located on the driver’s door.
1Remote trunk lid release switch with in-
dicator lamp

Pull remote trunk lid release switch1
until the trunk begins to open.
The trunk lid opens. The indicator lamp
in the switch comes on and remains lit
until the trunk is closed.
The trunk can also be opened using the
SmartKey (
page 90) or from its inside in
an emergency, see “Trunk lid emergency
release” (
page 104).
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.iIf the trunk lid does not open, it is still
locked separately (if applicable)
(page 105) or the vehicle is locked
centrally (
page 88).
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*: If the ve-
hicle was previously centrally locked,
the trunk lid will lock automatically
when closed (page 91). The turn sig-
nals will flash three times to confirm
locking.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance.iIf the trunk lid does not open, it is still
locked separately (if applicable)
(page 105).
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk lid will lock automati-
cally when closed (
page 99). The
turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.

100 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking
Pull remote trunk lid switch1 until the
trunk begins to open.
The trunk lid opens automatically. The
indicator lamp in the switch comes on
and remains lit until the trunk is closed.The trunk can also be opened using the
SmartKey (
page 90) or from its inside in
an emergency, see “Trunk lid emergency
release” (
page 104).
Limiting opening height of trunk lid
The trunk lid opening height can be limited
when transporting goods on a roof rack
(e.g. presence of an MB sport luggage con-
tainer). When activated, the trunk lid opens
to approximately the height of the roof
edge.
You can activate the limiting opening
height of trunk lid using the control system
(
page 150). Closing from the inside

Press the remote trunk lid switch
(page 99) until the indicator lamp in
the switch goes out and the trunk lid is
closed.
To interrupt the closing procedure:

Release the remote trunk lid switch.
If the trunk lid comes into contact with an
object while closing (e.g. luggage that has
been piled too high), the closing procedure
is stopped and the trunk re-opens slightly.
!The trunk lid swings open upwards au-
tomatically. Always make sure there is
sufficient overhead clearance. To stop
the opening procedure, press or pull
the remote trunk lid switch.iIf the trunk lid does not open, it is still
locked separately (if applicable)
(page 105).
If the vehicle was previously centrally
locked, the trunk lid will lock automati-
cally when closed (
page 99). The
turn signals will flash three times to
confirm locking.
Warning!
G
Maintain sight of trunk area while operating
the door mounted switch. Monitor the clos-
ing procedure carefully to ensure that no
one is in danger of being injured.
To interrupt the closing procedure, release
the door mounted remote trunk lid switch.

108 Controls in detailSeats
SeatsInformation on seat adjustment can be
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 35).
Easy-entry / exit feature*
With the easy-entry / exit feature activat-
ed, the steering wheel tilts upwards and
the driver’s seat moves to the rear.
This allows easier entry into and exit from
the vehicle when the driver’s door is
opened. However, the engine must be
turned off.
When the SmartKey is inserted in the start-
er switch or you have pressed the Key-
less-Go* start/stop button and the
driver’s door is closed, the steering wheel
and the driver’s seat return to their last set
positions.You can activate the following functions:


Steering column:
Only the steering column is adjusted.


Steering column and seat:
The steering column and the seat are
adjusted.
The easy-entry / exit feature can be
switched on or off in the convenience sub-
menu of the control system (
page 150).
Warning!
G
You must ensure that no one can become
trapped or injured by the moving steering
wheel and driver’s seat when the
easy-entry / exit feature is activated, the
driver’s door is being opened and the engine
is turned off or the SmartKey removed from
the starter switch.
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 28).


Move steering column stalk
(page 37).


Press the memory switch
(page 28).