2005 Mercedes E-Class Owner's Manual - Page 210

Controls in detail 4-zone automatic climate control* The climate control is a 4-zone intelligent climate control system. Your vehicle interior is divided into 4 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 every individual zone. You can set the temperature for each of the 4 zones separately. These settings can be assigned to a SmartKey and stored in memory ( page 168). The climate control is operational whenever the engine is running. It cools the vehicle's interior according to the angle and intensity of the sun's rays, the outside temperature and the selected temperature. You can operate the climate control system in either the automatic or manual mode. Warning! G When operating the climate control, the air that enters the passenger compartment through the air vents in the footwell can be very hot or very cold (depending on the set temperature). This may cause burn or frostbite to unprotected skin in the immediate area of the air vents. Always keep sufficient distance between unprotected parts of the body and the footwell air vents. If necessary change the air flow using the air distribution controls ( page 206) to direct the air away from the footwell air vents. 208