MERCEDES-BENZ ML320 2008 W164 Owner's Manual

220 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
1Temperature control, left
2Air distribution and air volume
(automatic, manual)
3Air distribution, driver’s side
4Front defroster
5Increasing air volume
6Rear window defroster
7Air distribution, passenger side
8Rear automatic climate control
on/off
>USA only
™Canada only
9Temperature control, right
aAutomatic climate control on/off
bAir distribution, passenger side
cAir distribution, passenger side
dAC cooling on/off
Residual heat/ventilation
eDisplay
fDecreasing air volume
gAir recirculation
hAir distribution, driver’s side
jAir distribution, driver’s side
kInterior temperature sensor
lAdopting driver’s side settings for all
zones

221 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
The automatic climate control is a 3-zone
intelligent automatic climate control sys-
tem. Your vehicle interior is divided into
3 zones.With the help of a sun sensor, the automat-
ic climate control determines the relation
of the sun to the vehicle and automatically
adjusts the inside temperature for every
individual zone.
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. It cools
the vehicle’s interior according to the an-
gle and intensity of the sun’s rays, the out-
side temperature and the selected
temperature. You can operate the auto-
matic climate control in either the auto-
matic or manual mode.
Warning!G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents can be very
hot or very cold (depending on the set tem-
perature). This may cause burns or frostbite
to unprotected skin in the immediate area of
the air vents.
Always keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the air
vents. If necessary, use the air distribution
controls (
page 220) to direct the air to air
vents in the vehicle interior that are not in
the immediate area of unprotected skin.

222 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic 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 A/C mode is deactivated
(
page 220).Deactivating the automatic climate
control system
Deactivating
Press button´ (page 220) until
the displaye (
page 220) is cleared.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!G
Severe conditions (e.g. strong air pollution)
may require replacement of the filter before
its scheduled interval. A clogged filter will
reduce the air volume to the interior and the
windows could fog up, impairing visibility
and endangering you and others. Have a
clogged filter replaced as soon as possible
at an authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck
Center.
Warning!G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following
pages. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iIf the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate the in-
terior before driving off, see “Summer opening
feature” (
page 237). The automatic climate
control will then adjust the interior temperature
to the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the wind-
shield free of snow and debris.
Warning!G
When the automatic climate control system
is switched off, the outside air supply and
circulation are also switched off. Only
choose this settings for a short time. Other-
wise the windows could fog up, impairing
visibility and endangering you and others.

223 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Reactivating
Press buttonU(page 220).
Operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode
You can switch the automatic climate con-
trol system on and off separately for each
zone as needed.Activating
Press buttonU (page 220) while
the engine is running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. Air volume and air distribu-
tion are controlled separately for each
zone.
Use temperature controls1 and9
(
page 220) to separately adjust the
air temperature on each side of the
passenger compartment.
The temperature of the interior is ad-
justed automatically.
Deactivating
Press one button of the air distribution
(
page 220) or press button

orQ (
page 220).
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out.Depending on which button you press –
the air distribution button or the air vol-
ume button
orQ – automatic
control of either the air distribution or
air volume is switched off.
Setting the temperature
Use temperature control1 and9
(
page 220) to separately adjust the air
temperature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, preferably starting at 72°F (22°C).
The automatic climate control will adjust to
the set temperature as fast as possible.
Increasing
Turn temperature control1
and/or9 slightly clockwise.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
iYou can also press button´
(
page 220) on the automatic climate control
panel.
If you press button| (
page 220) to
reactivate the automatic climate control system,
the defrosting mode is activated.
iWhen operating the automatic climate
control system in automatic mode, you will only
rarely need to adjust the temperature, air volume
and air distribution.
In automatic mode, cooling with dehumidify is
switched on. This function can be switched off if
necessary.

224 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Decreasing
Turn the temperature control1
and/or9 slightly counterclockwise.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls3,h,
orj for the driver’s side, or7,b, orc
(
page 220) for the passenger side to
separately adjust the air distribution on
each side of the passenger compartment.
The following symbols are found on the
buttons:
Press the desired air distribution but-
ton (
page 220).
The indicator lamp on the desired but-
ton goes out.Adjusting the air distribution for the
center and side air vents
Opening the center air vents
Turn thumbwheels5 and8
(
page 218) to the right.
The corresponding center air vents on
the left and right are open.
Closing the center air vents
Turn thumbwheels5 and8
(
page 218) to the left.
The corresponding center air vents on
the left and right are closed.
SymbolFunction
Driver’s
sidePassen-
ger side
6ZDirects air to the
windshield and side
air vents
7aDirects air through
the center, side and
rear passenger
compartment air
vents
8YDirects air to the
footwells and side
air vents

225 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Opening the side air vents
Turn thumbwheels3 andb
(
page 218) to the right.
The corresponding side air vents on the
left and right are open.
Closing the side air vents
Turn thumbwheels3 andb
(
page 218) to the left.
The corresponding side air vents on the
left and right are closed.
Adjusting air volume
Five blower speeds are available.
Press button
to decrease or
buttonQ to increase air volume
(
page 220) to the desired level.
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out.
The automatic mode is switched off.
The selected blower speed appears in
the displaye (
page 220).
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, such as when it is iced up. You
can also use it to defog the windshield and
door windows.
Activating
Press button| (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The automatic climate control switches to
the following functions automatically:

most efficient blower speed and
heating power, depending on outside
temperature

air flows onto the windshield and the
front door windows (side air vents must
be open)

the air conditioning compressor
switches on at outside temperatures
above approximately 41°F (5°C) for
air-drying
Adjustments
You can adjust the air volume and the tem-
perature when the front defroster is
switched on. The air flow will remain on the
windshield and front door windows.
Press button
to decrease or
buttonQ to increase air volume
(
page 220) to the desired level.
The air volume decreases/increases to
the next lower/higher blower speed
and heating switches to the tempera-
ture that was set before the front de-
froster was switched on.
The indicator lamp on button|
goes out. The indicator lamp on
button9 comes on.
or
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield or the side windows are clear again.


226 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Turn temperature control1
and/or7 (
page 220) slightly in any
direction.
Heating switches to the temperature
that was set before the front defroster
was switched on.
The indicator lamp on button|
goes out. The indicator lamp on
button9 comes on.
Deactivating
Press button| (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
The previous settings are once again in
effect.Windshield fogged on the outside
Switch the windshield wipers on
(
page 61).
Press buttonU (page 220).
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out. Air volume and air
distribution are controlled separately
for each zone.
If the automatic air distribution and
air volume are switched off:
Press buttons8 andY
(
page 220).
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the air distribution control as well as the
airflow volume control are set toU and
there is a high need for cooling, the
MAXCOOL function is activated.
“
MAXCOOL” appears in the front and rear
display.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof are closed).
iThe air conditioning compressor remains on
even if the indicator lamp in button| goes
out. This helps to prevent the windshield from
fogging.
iTo switch off, you can also press
button´ orU (
page 220).
iKeep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.


227 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before driving
through a tunnel). This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.Activating
Press button: (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.DeactivatingPress button: (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
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.
Warning!G
Fogged windows impair visibility,
endangering you and others. If the windows
begin to fog on the inside, switching off the
air recirculation mode immediately should
clear interior window fogging. If interior win-
dow fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 229) is activated, or
press button|.
iThe air recirculation mode is activated auto-
matically at high outside temperatures.
The indicator lamp on button: is not lit when
the air recirculation mode is automatically
switched on.
A quantity of outside air is added after approxi-
mately 30 minutes.
If you have turned off the air conditioning
(
page 229) or the outside temperature is
below 41°F (5°C), the air recirculation mode will
not switch on automatically.
iTo cool the interior as fast as possible, the
automatic climate control automatically switch-
es to air recirculation. The indicator lamp on
button: is not lit when the system switches
to air recirculation automatically.
iThe air recirculation mode is deactivated
automatically

after 5 minutes if the outside temperature is
below approximately 41°F (5°C)

after 5 minutes if the air conditioning and
air-drying is turned off

after 30 minutes if the outside temperature
is above approximately 41°F (5°C)

228 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Air recirculation mode with conve-
nience closing and opening feature
Convenience closing
Press button: for approximately
2 seconds.
The windows and/or tilt/sliding sun-
roof will close. You can release
button: once the closing proce-
dure has begun. The windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof continue closing
until they are fully closed. The indicator
lamp on the button comes on. The air
recirculation mode is activated.Convenience opening
Press button: for approximately
2 seconds.
The windows and/or tilt/sliding sun-
roof will return to their previous posi-
tions. You can release button:
once the opening procedure has be-
gun. The windows and tilt/sliding sun-
roof continue opening until they have
reached their previous positions. The
indicator lamp on the button goes out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivat-
ed.
Warning!G
Never operate the side windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the opening or
closing procedure.
When using the air recirculation mode with
convenience closing feature, should the up-
ward movement of a window be blocked by
some obstruction including but not limited
to arms, hands, fingers, etc., the automatic
reversal feature will not operate.
In case the procedure causes potential
danger:
Vehicles with or without tilt/sliding sunroof:
The closing of the windows can be immedi-
ately halted by pressing or pulling the re-
spective window switch. The closing of the
tilt/sliding sunroof can be immediately halt-
ed by moving the switch for the tilt/sliding
sunroof in any direction.
The closing of the side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof can be reversed by again
pressing and holding the :button.
iA window or the tilt/sliding sunroof will only
return to its previous position if it has not been
moved to another position using the respective
window switch or tilt/sliding sunroof switch af-
ter it was closed with button:.

229 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
Air conditioning
The cooling function, only operational
when the engine is running, cools the vehi-
cle down to the selected interior tempera-
ture. The cooling function also
dehumidifies the air in the vehicle interior,
thereby preventing the windows from fog-
ging up.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 button9 (page 220).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The cooling function switches off
after a short delay.
Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.
Press button9 again.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R-134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.Using driver-side settings for all tem-
perature zones
You can use the settings of the driver’s
side, such as temperature, air volume and
air distribution, for all temperature zones.
These settings only need to be made once
and the automatic climate control system
will automatically regulate the settings for
all temperature zones quickly and comfort-
ably.
iCondensation may drip out from underneath
the vehicle. This is normal and not an indication
of a malfunction.
Warning!G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
interior air is not dried. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned on
again, this indicates that the air conditioning is
losing refrigerant. The compressor has turned
off.
Have the air conditioning checked at the nearest
authorized Mercedes-Benz Light Truck Center.