cooling MERCEDES-BENZ R500 2006 W251 Owner's Manual

Contents
Automatic transmission ..................... 197
Gear selector lever ....................... 197
Shifting procedure ....................... 199
Transmission positions................. 200
Gear ranges ................................. 202
Driving tips ................................... 203
Automatic shift program .............. 204
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 205
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 207
Good visibility .................................... 208
Headlamp cleaning system* ........ 208
Rear view mirrors ......................... 208
Power folding exterior rear view
mirrors* ....................................... 211
Sun visors .................................... 212
Rear door window sunshade* ...... 214
Third-row sunshade* .................... 214
Rear window defroster ................. 215
Climate control .................................. 216
Deactivating the climate control
system ......................................... 220
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode ........... 221Setting the temperature................ 222
Adjusting air distribution............... 222
Adjusting air volume ..................... 222
Front defroster.............................. 223
Air recirculation mode .................. 224
Air conditioning............................. 226
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 227
Rear climate control ..................... 228
3-zone automatic climate control* ..... 230
Deactivating the climate control
system .......................................... 234
Operating the climate control
system in automatic mode............ 235
Setting the temperature................ 236
Adjusting air distribution............... 236
Adjusting air volume ..................... 237
Front defroster.............................. 238
Maximum cooling MAX COOL ....... 239
Air recirculation mode .................. 239
Air conditioning............................. 241
Using driver-side settings for all
temperature zones........................ 242
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 243
Rear automatic climate control..... 244Power windows .................................. 248
Opening and closing ..................... 248
Synchronizing the door windows .. 251
Summer opening feature .............. 251
Convenience closing feature......... 252
Power tilt/sliding sunroof* ................ 255
Opening and closing ..................... 255
Synchronizing ............................... 258
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*............................... 259
Roller sunblinds for the
panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel ........................... 259
Opening and closing the
panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel ........................... 260
Synchronizing the panorama roof
with power tilt/sliding panel......... 262
Driving systems .................................. 264
Cruise control ............................... 264
AIRMATIC* ................................... 269
Parktronic* (Parking assist) .......... 274

63 Getting started
Driving
The coolant temperature is above
248°F (120°C)
The coolant is too hot and is no longer
cooling the engine.
Stop the vehicle as soon as possible in
a safe location and turn off the engine.
Allow engine and coolant to cool.

Check the coolant level and add cool-
ant if necessary (
page 351).In case of accident
If the vehicle is leaking fuel:

Do not start the engine under any
circumstances.

Notify local fire and/or police authori-
ties.
If the extent of the damage cannot be de-
termined:

Notify an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
If no damage can be determined on the


major assemblies


fuel system


engine mount:

Start the engine in the usual manner.

218 Controls in detailClimate control
1
Temperature control, left
2
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic, manual)
3
Front defroster
0USA only
P Canada only
4
Increasing air volume
5
Air distribution (directs air through
the windshield and side air vents)
6
Rear air conditioning on/off
:USA only
7
Temperature control, right
8
AC cooling on/off (A/C)
Residual heat/ventilation (REST)
9
Air distribution (directs air through
center and side air vents)
a
Air distribution (directs air through
the footwells and side vents)
b
Air volume display
c
Decreasing air volume
d
Rear window defroster
1 USA only
F Canada only
e
Air recirculation
f
Interior temperature sensor
g
Climate control on/off

219 Controls in detail
Climate control
The climate control is operational whenev-
er the engine is running. You can operate
the climate control system in either the
automatic or manual mode. The system
cools or heats the interior depending on
the selected interior temperature and the
current outside temperature.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 227).
Warning!
G
When operating the climate control, the air
that enters the passenger compartment
through the air vents can be very hot or very
cold (depending on the set temperature).
This may cause burns or frostbite to unpro-
tected 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 218) to direct the air to air
vents in the vehicle interior that are not in
the immediate area of unprotected skin.
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, see
“Summer opening feature”
(page 251). The climate control will
then adjust the interior temperature to
the set value much faster.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow and debris.

221 Controls in detail
Climate control
Operating the climate control system in automatic modeActivating

Press buttonU (
page 218) while
the engine is running.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on. The air volume and air distri-
bution are adjusted automatically.

Use temperature controls1 and7
(page 218) to separately adjust the
air temperature on each side of the
passenger compartment.
The interior air temperature is adjusted
automatically.Deactivating

Press button
orQ
(page 218).
The indicator lamp on theU button
goes out. The automatic operation of
air volume switches off. The selected
blower speed is shown in the air
volume displayb (
page 218).
or

Press air distribution button 5,9,
ora (
page 218).
The indicator lamp on the buttonU
goes out. The automatic operation of
air distribution switches off.
iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.
In automatic mode, cooling with dehu-
midify is switched on. This function can
be switched off if necessary
(page 227).
iThe settings for the passenger side are
also used for the rear passenger com-
partment.

226 Controls in detailClimate controlDeactivating
Press button:.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Air conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature set by the operator.
In addition, the air conditioning dehumidi-
fies the interior air at outside temperatures
above 41°F (5° C) and helps prevent
window fogging.
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 condition-
ing and air-drying is turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside
temperature is above
approximately 41°F (5°C)
iPress and hold button:for approx-
imately 2 seconds. The windows,
and/or the tilt/sliding sunroof*, (or
tilt/sliding panel*) will return to their
previous position. You can release
button:once the opening proce-
dure has begun. The windows and/or
the tilt/sliding sunroof* (or tilt/sliding
panel*) continue opening until they
have reached their previous position.
A window or the tilt/sliding sunroof*
(or tilt/sliding panel*) 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* (or tilt/sliding
panel*) switch after it was closed with
button:.
A window or the tilt/sliding sunroof (or
tilt/sliding panel*) that was moved will
remain in its current position if
button:is used to re-open the re-
maining windows or tilt sliding sun-
roof* (or tilt/sliding panel*).
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.Warning!
G
If you turn off the cooling function, the
vehicle will not be cooled when weather
conditions are warm. The windows can fog
up more quickly. Window fogging may
impair visibility and endanger you and
others.

227 Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the climate
control system. The air in the vehicle will
then no longer be cooled or dehumidified.
Press button9 (
page 218).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

Press button9 (
page 218) again.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
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.
!If the air conditioning cannot be turned
on again, this indicates that the air con-
ditioning is losing refrigerant. The com-
pressor has turned off.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Light Truck Center.
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on

the coolant temperature


the battery voltage
Regardless of the temperature and air
volume set on the climate control
panel, an interior temperature is aimed
at by 72°F (22°C) and the blower runs
on low speed to protect the vehicle bat-
tery.

229 Controls in detail
Climate control
Deactivating rear climate control
Press button´.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
The cooling function switches off after
a short delay.Adjusting air distribution
Use the air distribution controls2 or4
to adjust the air distribution for the rear
passenger compartment.
The symbols on the controls represent the
following functions:
Adjusting manually

Press the desired air distribution
control2 or4.
The indicator lamp in the Ubutton
goes out.Adjusting automatically

Press buttonU.
The indicator lamp in the button comes
on. The air distribution is adjusted au-
tomatically.
Adjusting air volume
The air volume for the rear zone corre-
sponds to the air volume settings for the
front passenger side. You can switch off
the air supply for the rear zone.
You can switch off the supplied amount of
air volume.

Press button´.
iThe temperature is adjusted according
to the settings for the front passenger
side made on the front climate control
panel (
page 222).
iSwitch off the rear automatic climate
control for improved cooling or heating
output in the front passenger compart-
ment.
You can also switch off the rear auto-
matic climate control from the front
passenger compartment (
page 220).
Symbol
Function
Z
Directs air to the center air
vents
Y
Directs air to the footwells and
the side air vents

232 Controls in detail3-zone automatic climate control*
1
Temperature control, driver’s side
2
Air distribution and air volume
(automatic, manual)
3
Air distribution, driver’s side
4
Front defroster
0USA only
P Canada only
5
Increasing air volume
6
Rear window defroster
1 USA only
F Canada only
7
Air distribution, passenger side
8
Rear climate control
>USA only
™Canada only
9
Temperature control, passenger side
a
Automatic climate control on/off
b
Air distribution, passenger side
c
Air distribution, passenger side
d
AC cooling on/off
Residual heat/ventilation
e
Display
f
Decreasing air volume
g
Air recirculation
h
Air distribution, driver’s side
j
Air distribution, driver’s side
k
Interior temperature sensor
l
Adopting driver’s side settings for all
zones

233 Controls in detail
3-zone automatic climate control*
The automatic climate control is a 3-zone
intelligent climate control system. Your ve-
hicle interior is divided into 3 zones.With the help of a sun sensor, the climate
control determines the relation of the sun
to the vehicle and automatically adjusts
the inside temperature for each 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.
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 242).
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 232) to direct the air to air
vents in the vehicle interior that are not in
the immediate area of unprotected skin.