My drive? am-rush hour, lunch-short hop, pm-rush hour.

It seems ok, b/c this am, I left the dial as it was last night, forgot the temp setting, but it was NOT at the coldest point, and it did kick down. Now, at lunch when I go out I bet it wont crank down b/c it will not have time to reach temp setting.

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1995 E320 smoke silver / parchment

89 300CE

I like to drive with the sunroof/windows all open all the way whenever practical. While I understand the "set it and forget it" theory, would it make sense to just shut the system off (hit the "O" button) if I'm driving in my "almost ragtop" mode?

I know my climate system will not heat or cool the great outdoors!

thanks again for all of this site's excellent advice.

When you are enjoying the great outdoors, simply press the EConomy button. On the 124 climate control this is the second button from the right in the horizontal row of buttons. Then when you close everything back up, hit the center button again.

Enjoy,

My wrecking yard said the AC control panel is one of the most failure prone and requested items. If you want it to last- don't push the buttons any more than you have to, set it to auto and leave it alone! Up here I can leave the fan on low most of the year unless we have rear seat pax and then you need a little more air flow.

Dan

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81 240D 4speed with 300D engine
87 560SL
2005 E320
Yukon Denali
Sierra Denali
850 Turbo Volvo
1996 Mustang
1984 Mustang race car
3 Boats

Leave the fan buttons alone too. Just press the auto fan button and forget it.

My $0.02,

I hit the ec button all the time, when the top is down of course... also hit it before I slide in the garage, dries out the evap core, no smell... greg 2003 SL

Given that it appears that the push-button climate control system you guys in the States got is unreliable, I wonder how difficult it would be to fit the system we got. It offers good reliability with no "mind of its own" allowing you full control of fan speed and air control and the advantage of separate left and right calibrated temperature dials that are still in a closed loop system with feedback from temperature sensors.

On the surface of it you would obviously need new console timber and the control knobs and switches. Our cars also have a dual version of the mono-valve (suggesting two individual heater cores). The electronics would also be different. Hmmm, I guess this is starting to sound complicated and expensive. Oh well, just a thought.

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107.023: 350SLC, 3-speed auto, icon gold, parchment MBtex (sold 2012 after 29 years ownership).
107.026: 500SLC, 4-speed auto, thistle green, green velour.
124.090: 300TE, 4-speed auto, arctic white, cream-beige MBtex.
201.028: 190E 2.3 Sportline, 5-speed manual, arctic white, blue leather.
201.028: 190E 2.3, 4-speed auto, blue-black, grey MBtex.
201.034: 190E 2.3-16, 5-speed manual, blue-black, black leather.

Worldwide, in the W124 series for example, Mercedes-Benz fitted three types of ventilation/AC systems:

1/ The standard heat-ventilation only unit, with rotary dials for air direction, air temperature (left and right), and fan speed. No A/C and no recirc buttoms. Hence no A/C system and compressor.

2/ The "less expesinve" manual A/C system, which mimics all the rotary dials from above plus three push buttoms: A/C compressor turn-off buttoms (marked as EC or economy), air recirculation and auto windshield defrost settings.

3/ The "more expensive" fully automatic A/C system, which is the push buttoms auto A/C system fitted as standard in the U.S.A.

Since I had system No. 2 on my 300TE and system No. 3 fitted to my E 320 T, I can say that the less expensive A/C system with the rotary dials and separate temperatures for left and right highly exceeds in convinience and reliability the auto A/C system.

This opinion applies to the W124 (and also the auto A/C fitted to the W126, which is basically the same).

My opinion changes on the auto A/C system fitted to W140 series, which was mostly fitted for the worldwide market(including the U.S.). This system is really superb and provides great flexibility. Reliable? Well, I hope it is!

One important thing: the W140 in some specific markets was fitted rotary dials (similar to those on system No. 1 on the W124) without A/C and with a NON-auto A/C system similar to system No. 2. My S 500 L owner's manual covers all three of them.

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A. Rosich
CL 500, 1998
S 500 L, 1998
E 320 T, 1995 [Sadly sold ]

Yes there are many of us who would love to have the manual a/c system on our 124's. The only way I would personally attempt this change would be if I had the entire donor car setting next to the one that I'm "upgrading." Since there are very few International cars in the US to serve as donors, it won't happen very often.

Thanks for the post,

Every time I press a button on my 123's ACC unit the currently pressed in button comes flying out and disappears in the back seat somewhere.

So I tend to avoid pressing them whenever possible.



As for manual controls.. Every car I've seen in the junkyard here in Tallahassee has manual controls. Except 1 and it had the ACC 1 system.

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'84 300CD Turbo 132k (Anthracite Grey) - WVO - My daily driver - Recently named coo-coo-coupe by my daughter.
'84 300D Turbo 240k (Anthracite Grey) - Garage Queen
'83 300D Turbo 220k (Orient Red) - WVO - Wifes daily driver

I'm not a certified mechanic, but I did stay at a HolidayInn Express last night.