Driving MERCEDES-BENZ E500 2004 W211 Service Manual

121 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionM orU.
When the engine is running, the low beam
headlamps are automatically switched on.
In low ambient light conditions the parking
lamps will also switch on.
Canada only
When you shift from a driving gear to
positionN orP, the low beam switches off
(with a three-minute delay).
For nighttime driving you should turn the
exterior lamp switch to positionB to
permit activation of the high beam head-
lamps.USA only
The high beam headlamps can also be ac-
tivated when driving with the daytime run-
ning lamp mode activated and exterior
lamp switch in positionM.
To activate the daytime running lamp
mode, see “Setting daytime running lamp
mode” (
page 146).
Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the control system
section under “Setting locator lighting”
(
page 147) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 148).
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated, the low beam headlamps will
not be switched off automatically.iThe front fog lamps and rear fog lamp
cannot be switched on manually with
exterior lamp switch in positionU.
To activate the fog lamps, turn exterior
lamp switch to positionB and pull
the exterior lamp switch to first or sec-
ond stop (
page 122).
iSee notes on the exterior lamp switch
(page 119).

122 Controls in detailLightingSwitching on fog lamps
Switching on front fog lamps

Make sure the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
lamp switch comes on.Switching on rear fog lamps

Make sure the low beam headlamps
are switched on.

Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp† in the
lamp switch comes on.
Warning!
G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position U to B with
the vehicle at a standstill. Switching from
U to B will briefly switch off the head-
lamps. Doing so while driving in low ambient
lighting conditions may result in an acci-
dent.iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and / or the low beam head-
lamps on. Fog lamps should only be
used in conjunction with low beam
headlamps. Consult your State or Prov-
ince Motor Vehicle Regulations regard-
ing allowable lamp operation.
iThe front fog lamps and rear fog lamp
cannot be switched on manually with
exterior lamp switch in positionU.
To activate the fog lamps, turn exterior
lamp switch to positionB and pull
the exterior lamp switch to first or sec-
ond stop (
page 119).

127 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Coolant temperature gauge
During severe operating conditions, e. g.
stop-and-go traffic, the coolant tempera-
ture may rise close to 248°F (120°C).
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248°F
(120°C). Doing so may cause serious en-
gine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display (
page 129).

If it is not displayed, press the è or
ÿ repeatedly until the trip odome-
ter appears.

Press and hold the reset button on the
instrument cluster (
page 22) until
the trip odometer is reset.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is overheated
can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously
burned.


Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until the
engine has cooled down.
iExcessive coolant temperature trigger
a warning in the multifunction display
(page 314).

128 Controls in detailInstrument clusterTachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
E 55 AMG
The tachometer of the E 55 AMG does not
have a red marking denoting excessive en-
gine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated at
an excessive engine speed.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is displayed in
the instrument cluster (
page 22). For in-
formation on how to select the unit of the
displayed temperature, i.e. degrees Cel-
sius (°C) or degrees Fahrenheit (°F), see
“Selecting temperature display mode”
(
page 141).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison to a thermometer placed next to
the sensor, not by comparison to external
displays (e.g. bank signs etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

129 Controls in detail
Control system
Control system
The control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1 or as soon as the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button* is in
position1. The control system enables you
to:

call up information about your vehicle


change vehicle settings.
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Segment ring
2Standard display
3Trip odometer
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player) will appear in English,
regardless of the language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his / her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 13.5 m) every second.

136 Controls in detailControl systemNAVI* menu
The
Navi
menu contains the functions
needed to operate your navigation system.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see the message
Navi
in the
display.


If the navigation system is switched off,
the message
Navi Off
is shown in the
display.


If the navigation system is switched on,
the message
Navi Active
is shown in
the display.
Please refer to the COMAND manual for in-
structions on how to activate the route
guidance system.
Distronic* menu
Use the Distronic menu to display the cur-
rent settings for your Distronic system.
What information is shown in the display
depends on whether the Distronic system
is active or inactive.
Please refer to the “Driving systems” sec-
tion of this manual (
page 214) for in-
structions on how to activate Distronic.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see one of the following two
pictures in the display.Distronic deactivated
When Distronic is deactivated, you will see
the standard display in the display.
1Vehicle ahead, if detected
2Actual distance to vehicle ahead
3Preset distance threshold to vehicle
ahead
4Your vehicle
5Symbol for activated distance warning
function

146 Controls in detailControl systemLighting submenu
Access the
Lighting
submenu via the
Set-
tings
menu. Use the
Lighting
submenu
to change the lamp and lighting settings on
your vehicle. The following functions are
available:Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the Lighting
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Lamp circuit headlamp
.
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
position 0, 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)
Function
Page
Set daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
146
Set locator lighting
147
Ambient light level
147
Exterior lamps delayed shut-off
148
Interior lighting delayed shut-off
149
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 138) while driving will not re-
set the daytime running lamp mode.
In the display you will then see the mes-
sage:
Lighting

153 Controls in detail
Control system
Adjusting the dynamic seat
The function dynamic seat adjustment lets
you determine the way the seat adjusts
while driving.
Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the Dynamic Seat
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
Dyn. Multi-cont. Seat, driver
for the driver seat or Dyn. Multi-cont. Seat, fr. pass.

for the passenger seat.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to switch function Level 1
or
Level 2
.
Trip computer menu
Use the trip computer menu to call up sta-
tistical data on your vehicle. The following
information is available:Fuel consumption statistics after start

Press buttonÿ orè repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the left
display:
After start
.
1Distance driven since start
2Time elapsed since start
3Average speed since start
4Average fuel consumption since start
Function
Page
Fuel consumption statistics after
start
153
Fuel consumption statistics
since last reset
154
Call up range (distance to empty)
154

155 Controls in detail
Control system
TEL menu*
You can use the functions in the
TEL
menu
to operate your telephone, provided it is
connected to a hands-free system and
switched on.

Switch on the telephone and COMAND.

Press buttonÿ orè on the
steering wheel repeatedly until you see
the
Tel
menu in the display.
Which messages will appear in the display
field depends on whether your telephone is
switched on or off:


If the telephone is off, the message in
the multifunction display is:
PHONE OFF
.


If the telephone is on:
The telephone will then search for a
network. During this time the display is
empty.
As soon as the telephone has found a
network,
READY
appears in the display.
This standby message indicates that your
telephone is ready for use and you can op-
erate it using the control system.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road must always
be his / her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call. If you choose to use the tele-
phone while driving, please use the
hands-free device and only use the tele-
phone when weather, road and traffic condi-
tions permit.
Some jurisdictions prohibit the driver from
using a cellular telephone while driving a ve-
hicle.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km / h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of approximately
44 feet (approximately 13.5 m) every sec-
ond.
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and / or
personal injury.

158 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Automatic transmissionInformation on driving with an automatic
transmission is found in the “Getting
started” section (
page 43).
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
operating and driving conditions.
If the operating conditions change, the
automatic transmission reacts by
adjusting its gear shift program.The automatic transmission selects indi-
vidual gears automatically, depending on:


the gear selector lever positionD with
gear ranges (
page 160)


the selected shift program
(C/S)(
page 164)
or
(C/S/M) (E 55 AMG only)
(
page 165)


the position of the accelerator pedal
(page 164)


the vehicle speed
The current gear selector lever position
and shift program (
C/S) or (
C/S/M) appear
in the multifunction display (
page 129).
An additional indication of the current gear
selector lever position can be found on the
cover of the shifting-gate. The indicators
come on when you activate a switch (e.g.
unlocking the vehicle or opening a door)
and go out after approximately
15 minutes.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
lever out ofP orN if the engine speed is
higher than idle speed. If your foot is not
firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
accelerate 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.