This is supposed to come on when the car senses dirty air or polluted air.

Has this ever come on without you turning it on?

Maybe I should sit in my garage with the car running and the door closed to test this out.. hehe..

 

Good question, and no, never have on its own.

 

Well, I leave mine on all the time. Driving city (El Paso) nearly 100% of the time and well - have no idea if the dirt around me can be called air so I prefer breathing it filtered.

That would be cool... but I think the only light you would see coming on would be the light from heaven. If however you test this for us, please post if you smelled anything before your blackout.

 

how do you turn it on?

 

Talk dirty (air) to it???

 

button on right hand side of controls

 

ROTFLMAO....

 

You should have a filter button on the right hand side of the controls near the AC buttons.

 

Seems MB noticed the confusion. May have helped them rationalize killing the feature on 05 cars. It's gone!!

 

Damn! Honestly had hoped that this would have been incorporated across the board with all future models since I was slighted with the e320. To those who have and use it, does it really make a difference that is to say can you readily notice the difference in air quality?

 

Well, I don't think an average human can tell a difference, but I'm sure it does help filter and keep the baddies out of your car.

 

YES, YES, YES!!!!! and again YES!

This was one of the best things Mercedes ever did to their AC - the charcoal filter! I was driving Downtown El Paso, parked the car, got out and... The oil refinery was making the air (or whatever was left) smell real good - I even didn't realize it while in the car. Same for the bush fires in California. I first smelled it after I opened the door. Dirty truck or pickup driving in front of me... no problem! I can see the sh... coming out of his exhaust but nothing comes even closed to my nose.

That thing is working 100% and I leave it always on.

 

Yeah it does work and is amazing.. I have to drive by a sewage plant sometimes. I press the lock in the air button and the charcoal and I don't smell a thing. Usually my daughter (who is 2) says, "Ewww stinky".

I was wondering though if it ever AUTO turned on for anyone as it supposed to when it senses dirty air. I guess you wouldn't know if you windows were closed and you didn't look.. Just look for a red light on that wasn't on before..

 

First does anyone know if the new 05 E320 CDI has the charcoal filter? Second, if I do, is this the recirc button? TIA

 

The recirculation button is not the same as the charcoal button.

 

But it also keeps out the smell...

Except your own off course - but you won't realize that until somebody opens the door and goes *ohhhhhh*

 

I have never had it come on automatically, but I now leave it on all the time. I went through a controlled burn fire in Rocky Mountain National Park last year, had it off and fumes were terrible. When I turned it on, the smell quickly disappeared. They change the filter for free under the maintainence for the newer E's so why not leave it on and enjoy clean air. I've also tested it on the Long Beach Freeway with all of the big diesal rigs hauling cargo to/from the docks. Smell is bad most of the time but you don't notice it with the filter on. This on been on the E's since at least '97 and I've gotten to really like it. Surprised to hear they are taking it off in future years.

 

They might be taking CONTROL of it off. Even older cars that have no control of the filter, can be fitted with a combined charcoal/paper cabin filter. This is what I use in my CLK.

Some people ask why I leave mine on all the time, and I haven't heard any good reasons not to leave it on. As long as it is replaced every year or so, it will continue working well all the time.

-s-

 

Scorchie:

You were ahead of the game!! I read this morning on a german forum that MB removed the seperate charcoal filter in favor of a combined pollen/charcoal filter. Other than the fact that it is probably more expensive to replace, the logic makes sense.

 

According to specs posted on mbusa.com the ’05 e320, CDI, and 500 all have an electrostatic dust & pollen filter.

 

My E500 (if I remember correctly) has the elctorstatic dust and pollen and the charcoal filter.. I thought that all air was filtered just not charcoal filtered until you turn it on the charcoal..

 

That the way it was, but not the way it is – at least for ’05.