warning MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS 2003 Manual Online

182 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlCharcoal filter
An activated charcoal filter markedly re-
duces bad odors and removes pollutants
from air entering the passenger compart-
ment.
Activating
Press button
e
(page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
e
(page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.The system automatically switches to the
air recirculation mode if the carbon
monoxide (CO) or nitrogen oxide (NO
X)
concentration of the outside air increases
beyond a predetermined level.
The automatic air recirculation mode does
not function if economy mode AC
OFF
is se-
lected or if the outside temperature has
fallen below 41°F (5°C).
The activated charcoal filter should be
switched off when windows fog up on the
inside, or if the passenger compartment
needs to be quickly heated or cooled
down.
iIf you keep button
e
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof will be closed.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
sliding pop/pop-up roof if there is the possi-
bility of anyone being harmed by the closing
procedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by pressing
the respective window switch. The closing of
the sliding/pop-up roof can be immediately
halted by moving the sliding/pop-up roof
switch in the overhead control panel in any
direction.
iIf you keep button
e
pressed, the
side windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof will be returned to their previous
position.

183 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to
a minimum, switch off the defroster as
soon as the rear window is clear. The de-
froster is automatically deactivated after
approximately 6 to 17 minutes of opera-
tion depending on the outside tempera-
ture.
Activating
Press button
F
(page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
F
(page 175) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Deactivating the climate control sys-
tem
Deactivating
It is possible to completely deactivate the
automatic climate control system. 
Press button
M
(page 175).
The display shows “0”.
Reactivating
There are several ways to reactivate the
automatic climate control system:

Press one of the following buttons, M
, P
, U
, a temperature con-
trol switch (
page 175) or air volume
switch 9 on the automatic climate con-
trol panel.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically switches on again.

187 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Rear passenger compartment climate control*
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
The automatic climate control system is
adjustable individually for the rear passen-
ger compartment.
The control panel is located in the rear cen-
ter console.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
Rear automatic climate control panel
iWhen the rear seats are not occupied
(rear seat belts unbuckled) the rear cli-
mate control system adopts the set-
tings of the front climate control
system.
Item
1
Left center air vent
2
Display
3
Right center air vent
4
Air distribution
5
Temperature control, right
6
Air volume (automatic, manual)
7
Temperature control, left
8
Rear climate control system
ON/OFF
Residual engine heat utilization
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.

188 Controls in detailPower windows
Power windowsOpening and closing the windows
The side windows can be opened and
closed electrically. The switches for all the
side windows are on the driver’s door.
There are individual switches in the front
and rear doors for the respective windows.
1Right front window
2Right rear window
3Left rear window
4Left front window

Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.
Opening the windows

Lightly press the symbol
k
on one
of the switches1 to4, until the corre-
sponding window reaches the desired
position.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the windows can be immedi-
ately halted by releasing the switch or, if the
switch was pressed past the resistance
point and released, by pressing the respec-
tive switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pressed the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pressing and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
the
‹
button on the SmartKey, or by
pressing and
holding the lock button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) on the door handle, the auto-
matic reversal function will not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) with
you, and lock your vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment may cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

189 Controls in detail
Power windows
Closing the windows
Lightly press the
j
symbol on one
of the switches 1 to4 until the corre-
sponding window reaches the desired
position.
When pulling and holding the switch to
close the window, and upward movement
of the window is blocked during the last
few inches before closure, the window will
stop but not open slightly.
Fully opening windows

Press the
k
symbol on one of the
switches 1 to 4 beyond the point of re-
sistance and then release the switch.
The window opens completely.Fully closing windows

Press the
j
symbol on one of the
switches 1 to 4 beyond the point of re-
sistance and then release the switch.
The window closes completely.
If the upward movement of the window is
blocked during the closing procedure, the
window will stop and open slightly.Stopping windows

Press respective switch again.
Warning!
G
Driver’s door only:
If within five seconds you again press the
switch past the resistance point and re-
lease, the automatic reversal function will
not function.
iYou can also open or close the win-
dows using the:

SmartKey (
page 190)


O
button in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 175)


e
button in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 175).

190 Controls in detailPower windowsOpening and closing the windows with
the SmartKey
The sliding/pop-up roof will also be
opened or closed when you operate the
power windows with the SmartKey.
Opening (Summer opening feature)
Press and hold button
Œ
after un-
locking the vehicle.
The windows and sliding/pop-up roof
begin to open after approximately one
second.

Release the
Œ
button to interrupt
the procedure.
Closing (Convenience feature)

Press and hold button
‹
after lock-
ing the vehicle.
The windows and sliding/pop-up roof
begin to close after approximately one
second.

Release the
‹
button to interrupt
the procedure.
Ensure that all side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof are properly closed before
leaving the vehicle.
Closing the side windows and
sliding/pop-up roof with KEYLESS-GO*

Press and hold lock button at door
(page 53) until the side windows and
the sliding/pop-up roof are closed.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or slid-
ing/pop-up roof if there is the possibility of
anyone being harmed by the opening or
closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger, the procedure can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the remote control button.
To reverse direction of movement press

Œ
for opening or
‹
for closing.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof, make sure that there is no
danger of anyone being harmed by the clos-
ing procedure.
The windows will not automatically reopen if
blocked during convenience closing.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:
SmartKey:

Release the
‹
button.


Press and hold the
Œ
button until
the windows and the sliding/pop-up
roof opens again.
KEYLESS-GO*


Release the lock button.


Pull on the door handle and hold firmly.
The side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof will open for as long as
the door handle is held but the door is
not opened.

192 Controls in detailSliding/pop-up roof
Sliding/pop-up roofOpening and closing the sliding/pop-up roof
1Push up to raise roof at rear
2Pull down to lower roof at rear
3Push forward to slide roof closed
4Push back to slide roof openWith the roof closed or tilted open, a
screen can be slid into the roof opening to
guard against sun rays. When sliding the
roof open, the screen will also retract.
Warning!
G
When closing the sliding/pop-up roof, make
sure that there is no danger of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
The closing procedure of the sliding/pop-up
roof can be immediately halted by releasing
the switch or, if the switch was moved past
the resistance point and released, by mov-
ing the switch in any direction.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) with
you, and lock your vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment can cause an acci-
dent and/or serious personal injury.

194 Controls in detailSliding/pop-up roofOpening and closing the sliding/pop-up
roof with the SmartKey
The power windows will also be opened or
closed when you operate the slid-
ing/pop-up roof with the SmartKey.
Aim transmitter eye at the front door
handle.Opening (Summer opening feature)

Press and hold button
Œ
after un-
locking the vehicle.
The windows and sliding/pop-up roof
begin to open after approximately one
second.

Release the
Œ
button to interrupt
the procedure.
Closing (Convenience feature)

Press and hold button
‹
after lock-
ing the vehicle.
The windows and sliding/pop-up roof
begin to close after approximately one
second.

Release the
‹
button to interrupt
the procedure.
Ensure that all side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof are properly closed before
leaving the vehicle.Closing the side windows and
sliding/pop-up roof with KEYLESS-GO*
(Convenience feature)

Press and hold lock button at door
(page 53) until the side windows and
the sliding/pop-up roof are closed.
Warning!
G
Never operate the windows or slid-
ing/pop-up roof if there is the possibility of
anyone being harmed by the opening or
closing procedure.
In case the procedure causes potential dan-
ger, the procedure can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the remote control button.
To reverse direction of movement press

Œ
for opening or
‹
for closing.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof, be sure that there is no
danger of anyone being harmed by the clos-
ing procedure.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:

Release the lock button.


Pull on the door handle and hold firmly.
The side windows and the slid-
ing/pop-up roof will open for as long as
the door handle is held but the door is
not opened.

196 Controls in detailDriving systems
Driving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed 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.


ABC* with vehicle level control sys-
tems, with which you can change vehi-
cle suspension characteristics


Parktronic*, which serves as a parking
assistant
For information on the BAS, ABS, and ESP
driving systems, see “Driving safety sys-
tems” (
page 76).
Cruise control
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
above 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 remain at all
times responsible for the vehicle speed and
for safe brake operation.
Only use cruise control if the traffic, road
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.

198 Controls in detailDriving systemsSetting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)
Briefly push the cruise control lever to
position4.
The cruise control will resume the last
set speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately 5 sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle’s maximum speed are illuminated.Setting a higher speed

Lift the cruise control lever to
position1 and hold it up until the de-
sired speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress the cruise control lever to
position2 and hold it down until the
desired speed is reached.

Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1.
Slower

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to preset
speed could cause an accident and/or seri-
ous injury to you and others.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing),
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the engine’s
braking power does not slow the vehi-
cle sufficiently.