air condition MERCEDES-BENZ E500 2004 W211 User Guide

188 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*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 AC
OFF
mode is selected
(
page 186).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature control3 for the left
side or5 for the right side to separately
adjust the air temperature on each side of
the passenger compartment. You should
raise or lower the temperature setting in
small increments, preferably starting
at 72°F (22°C).
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 pollu-
tion) may require replacement of the fil-
ter 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.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.
Do not obstruct air flow by placing ob-
jects on the air flow-through exhaust
slots below the rear window.
iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.

191 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.Activating

Press buttonO.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.iIf you keep buttonO pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof* or panorama sliding / pop-up
roof* or will close.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated
automatically:

at high outside temperatures


if the concentration of carbon mon-
oxide and nitrogen oxide in the out-
side air increases, for example in a
tunnel (charcoal filter activated
(page 192))
If you have turned off the air condition-
ing (page 182) or the outside
temperature is below 41°F (5°C), the
air recirculation mode will not switch
on automatically.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows and
sliding / pop-up roof* or panorama
sliding / pop-up roof* if there is the possibil-
ity of anyone being harmed by the opening
or closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger:
Vehicles with sliding/pop-up roof: The pro-
cedure for the windows can be immediately
halted by pressing or pulling the respective
window switch. The procedure for the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be immediately halted
by moving the switch for the sliding/pop-up
roof in any direction.
The closing of the side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be reversed by again
pressing and holding theO button.
Vehicles with panorama sliding/pop-up
roof: The procedure for the windows and
panorama sliding/pop-up roof can be imme-
diately halted by releasing theO button.

192 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Deactivating
Press buttonO.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically:


after five minutes if the outside temper-
ature is below approximately 41°F
(5°C)


after five minutes if the air conditioning
is turned off (AC
OFF
)


after 30 minutes if the outside temper-
ature is above approximately 41°F
(5°C)At outside temperatures above 79°F
(26°C) the system will not automatically
switch back to outside air. A quantity of
outside air is added after approximately
30 minutes.
Charcoal filter
An activated charcoal filter markedly re-
duces bad odors and removes pollutants
from air entering the passenger compart-
ment.
Activating
Press buttone.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
iIf you keep buttonO pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof* or panorama sliding / pop-up
roof* will return to their previous posi-
tion.
iIf you keep buttone pressed, the
side windows and the sliding / pop-up
roof* or panorama sliding / pop-up
roof* will close.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and
sliding / pop-up roof* or panorama
sliding / pop-up roof* if there is the possibil-
ity of anyone being harmed by the opening
or closing procedure.
Vehicles with sliding/pop-up roof: The pro-
cedure for the windows can be immediately
halted by pressing or pulling the respective
window switch. The procedure for the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be immediately halted
by moving the switch for the sliding/pop-up
roof in any direction.
The closing of the side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof can be reversed by again
pressing and holding the ebutton.
Vehicles with panorama sliding/pop-up
roof: The procedure for the windows and
panorama sliding/pop-up roof can be imme-
diately halted by releasing the ebutton.

194 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press button°.
The indicator lamp on the button°
comes on.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

Press° again.
The indicator lamp on the°button
goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior
for up to 30 minutes. This feature makes
use of the residual heat produced by the
engine.
Activating
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 or1, or remove it from
the starter switch.

Press button°.
The indicator lamp on button°
comes on.
Deactivating

Press button°.
The indicator lamp on button°
goes out.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioning is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned itself off.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

195 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control*
The residual heat is automatically turned
off

when the ignition is switched on


after about 30 minutes


if the battery voltage drops
Rear air conditioning
1Left rear center air vent, adjustable
2Right rear center air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for air volume control for
right rear center air vent
4Temperature rocker switch, right
5Display
6Temperature rocker switch, left
7Thumbwheel for air volume control for
left rear center air vent
Display1Temperature, left
2Temperature, right
Basic settings
We recommend setting the temperature
on both the left- and right-hand sides to
72°F. This ensures a pleasant temperature
in the rear of the vehicle.
The temperatures for the left- and
right-hand sides can be set using tempera-
ture rocker switches4 and6.
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting 1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.

196 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control*Adjusting the rear settings with the
front control panelDisplay
Press the™ button (
page 186).
The display switches over.The temperature for the rear left- and
right-hand sides of the vehicle can be set
with temperature rocker switches3
and5.
The temperature display disappears ap-
proximately five seconds after the last
SmartKey confirmation and switches back
to the normal display.
iThe rear air conditioning will not cool
the air when AC
OFF
mode has been se-
lected in the front control panel.
iThe normal display will appear when
the™ button is pressed again.

211 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The following driving systems are ex-
plained on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed


Airmatic* adjusts the vehicle suspen-
sion characteristics automatically and
controls the vehicle level


Parktronic system*, which assists the
driver during parking maneuvers
The BAS, ABS, ESP and SBC are described
in the “Safety and Security” section
(
page 74).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set any speed
over 20 mph (30 km / h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever found on the left-hand side of the
steering column (
page 20).
Warning!
G
Cruise control is a convenience system de-
signed to assist the driver during vehicle op-
eration. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the road, traffic
and weather conditions make it advisable to
travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.


Deactivate cruise control when driving
in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

226 Controls in detailDriving systemsAirmatic DC (Dual Control)*
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. The Airmatic consists of two
components:

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)


Vehicle level control
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driving
conditions. At the same time the suspen-
sion is set to either sporty or comfort.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:


Your driving style


Road surface conditions


Your choice of suspension style,
“sporty I”, “sporty II” or “comfortable”,
which you select using the damping
button.The following suspension styles are
available:


Comfortable
Both indicator lamps2 are off.


Sporty I
One indicator lamp2 is on.


Sporty II
Both indicator lamps2 are on.
1Damping button
2Indicator lamps

Start the engine.

Press the damping button1 until the
desired suspension style is set.iThe selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.iIn the sporty suspension style the vehi-
cle is lowered up to 0.6 in (15 mm).

227 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Vehicle level control
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to

reduce fuel consumption


increase vehicle safety
The following vehicle chassis ride heights
can be selected:


Normal


RaisedThe vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


At a speed above approximately above
68 mph (110 km / h) and the sporty
suspension style selected
(page 226), ride height is reduced
automatically by up to approximately
0.6in (15mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the “Normal” level.Select the “Raised” level only when re-
quired by current driving conditions. Oth-
erwise


fuel consumption may increase


handling may be impaired
iThese height adjustments are so small
that you may not notice any change.
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.

271 Operation
Driving instructions
Tread wear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and be-
come visible at a tread depth of approxi-
mately
1⁄16
in (1.6 mm), at which point the
tire is considered worn and should be re-
placed.
The tread wear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Specified tire pressures must be main-
tained. This applies particularly if the tires
are subjected to high loads (e.g. high
speeds, heavy loads, high ambient temper-
atures).
Hydroplaning
Depending on the depth of the water layer
on the road, hydroplaning may occur, even
at low speeds and with new tires. Reduce
vehicle speed, avoid track grooves in the
road and apply brakes cautiously in the
rain.
Inspect the tires and the vehicle underbody
for possible damage. If the vehicle or tires
appear unsafe, have it towed to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center or tire dealer for re-
pairs.
Warning!
G
Although the applicable federal motor vehi-
cle safety laws consider a tire to be worn
when the tread wear indicators (TWI) be-
come visible at approximately
1/16in
(1.6 mm), we recommend that you do not al-
low your tires to wear down to that level. As
tread depth approaches
1/8in (3 mm), the
adhesion properties on a wet road are
sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.
Warning!
G
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects
the ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You
may lose control of the vehicle. Continued
driving with a flat tire or driving at high
speed with a flat tire will cause excessive
heat build-up and possibly a fire.