2003 MERCEDES-BENZ CL600 wheel

75 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Switching off the ESP
To improve the vehicle's traction, turn off
the ESP in driving situations where it would
be advantageous to have the drive wheels
spin and thus cut into surfaces for better
grip such as:

starting out on slippery surfaces and in
deep snow in conjunction with snow
chains


sand or gravelThe switch is located on the center con-
sole.
1ESP off / on

Press the ESP switch1 until the ESP
warning lamp
v
in the speedometer
lights up.
ESP is deactivated.
If one or more wheels are spinning, the
ESP warning lamp
v
in the speedome-
ter flashes, regardless of the speed.
Traction control brakes a spinning wheel
even when ESP is deactivated.
ESP always operates when you are brak-
ing, even when it has been deactivated.Switching on the ESP

Press the ESP switch1.
The ESP warning lamp
v
in the in-
strument cluster goes out. You are now
again in normal driving mode.
Warning!
G
The ESP should not be switched off during
normal driving other than in the circum-
stances described below. Disabling of the
system will reduce vehicle stability in stan-
dard driving maneuvers.iDistronic* cannot be activated when
ESP has been deactivated.
!Avoid spinning of a drive wheel for an
extended period with the ESP switched
off. This may cause serious damage to
the drivetrain which is not covered by
the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Warning!
G
When the ESP warning lamp
v
is
illuminated continuously, the ESP is
switched off.
Adapt your speed and driving to the prevail-
ing road conditions and to the non-operating
status of the ESP.

94 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingPower closing assist for doors and trunk lid
Power closing assist for doors
Press the doors gently past the initial
engage position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.
Power closing assist for trunk lid

Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.
It is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. A pneumatic power-as-
sisted mechanism draws doors and trunk
lid closed quietly and automatically once
the door or trunk lid has been latched.
When the pneumatic power-assist and
mechanism has stopped, doors and / or
trunk can be re-opened.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at speeds of approxi-
mately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system (
page 139).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk opening when closing a door or the
trunk lid. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
The pneumatic power closing assist mecha-
nism cannot be stopped once it has been
engaged.
To prevent personal injury, never activate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold.
The vehicle automatically locks when
the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at speeds of approx-
imately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more. You
could therefore lock yourself out when
the vehicle

is pushed


is on a test stand

96 Controls in detailSeats
SeatsInformation on seat adjustment can be
found in the “Getting started” section
(page 34).
Lumbar support
You can adjust the contour of the seat’s
lumbar support to best support your back.
The thumbwheels for the driver’s and front
passenger’s seat are on the inner side of
the seat.
1Thumbwheel

Make sure the ignition is switched on.
All the lamps in the instrument cluster
should light up.

Set the lumbar support between 0
and 5.
Easy-entry / exit feature
With the easy-entry / exit feature activat-
ed, the steering wheel tilts upwards and
the driver’s seat moves to the rear.
This allows easier entry into and exit from
the vehicle when the driver’s door is
opened. However, the engine must be
turned off.
When the SmartKey is inserted in the start-
er switch or you have pressed the
KEYLESS-GO* start / stop button once and
the driver’s door is closed, the steering
wheel and the driver’s seat return to their
last set positions.You can activate the following functions:


Steering column:
Only the steering column is adjusted.


Steering column and seat:
Both the steering column and the seat
are adjusted.
The easy-entry / exit feature can be
switched on or off in the in the settings
menu of the control system (
page 140).
Warning!
G
You must make sure that no one can be-
come trapped or injured by the moving
steering wheel and driver’s seat when the
easy-entry / exit feature is activated, the
driver’s door is being opened, and the en-
gine is turned off or the SmartKey removed
from the starter switch. 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 ac-
cident and/or serious personal injury.

101 Controls in detailSeats
Warning!
G
The seat belts provide protection only with
the backrest locked in place and, therefore,
must be locked in place with the vehicle in
motion. Do not drive the vehicle when the
backrest is not locked in place. If the warn-
ing message
SEAT BACKREST, RIGHT -
LOCK
or
SEAT BACKREST, LEFT - LOCK
is
displayed in the multifunction display, then
the respective backrest is not engaged in its
lock. Carefully slow down, and drive with
caution to an area which is in a safe distance
from the roadway. Always provide sufficient
room behind the backrest and fold the back-
rest all the way back until it locks in place.
Keep the area around head restraints clear
of articles (e.g. clothing) to not obstruct the
folding operation of the head restraints.
The warning message is no longer displayed
as soon as the backrest is locked in place. If
both backrests are locked in place and the
warning message is still displayed, have the
system checked at your authorized Mer-
cedes-Benz Center immediately.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
electronic key from the starter switch, take
the KEYLESS-GO* card with you, and lock
your vehicle.
The power seats can also be operated with
the driver’s or passenger door open. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. Unsu-
pervised use of vehicle equipment may
cause an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Never place hands under seat or near any
moving parts during a seat adjustment pro-
cedure.
!The automatic seat slide is provided
with a safety feature.
The automatic process is interrupted, if
the backrest of the sliding seat is
pushed against an occupant or object.
The seat will slide forward and stop.
Investigate and correct the cause of in-
terruption.
Now use memory button (
page 105)
or seat adjustment switch (page 35)
to bring seat into desired position.
When folding the backrest forward
from a reclined position, and then fold-
ing it back, the backrest stops in a
more upright position for the safety of
any rear-seat passenger. Adjust the
backrest until your arms are slightly an-
gled when holding the steering
wheel (
page 35).

105 Controls in detail
Memory function
Memory function
The memory button and stored position
switch are located on the door.
You can store up to three different settings
per SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO* card.
The following settings are saved for each
stored position:

Driver’s seat and seat backrest posi-
tion


Settings for multicontour seat*


Steering wheel position


Inside rear view mirror position


Exterior rear view mirror position


Automatic climate control
These key dependent memory settings can
be deactivated if desired (
page 140).
1, 2, 3 Stored position button
MMemory button

Make sure that the ignition is switched
on or the relevant door is open and the
SmartKey is inserted in the starter
switch.
!Prior to operating the vehicle, the driv-
er should check and adjust the seat
height, seat position fore and aft, and
seat backrest angle if necessary, to en-
sure adequate control, reach and com-
fort. The head restraint should also be
adjusted for proper height. Also see
“Airbag” section (
page 55) for proper
seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, opera-
tion and comfort. Both the inside and
outside rear view mirrors should be ad-
justed for adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small
children should be seated in a properly
secured restraint system that complies
with U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213
and 210.2.
Warning!
G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.

106 Controls in detailMemory functionStoring positions into memory
Adjust the seats, steering wheel and
mirrors to the desired position
(page 34).

Press memory buttonM.

Release memory buttonM and push
position button1, 2 or3 within three
seconds.
All the settings are stored at the select-
ed position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold position button1, 2
or3 until the seat, steering wheel and
mirrors have fully moved to the stored
positions.iReleasing the button immediately
stops movement to the stored posi-
tions.
Warning!
G
Do not operate the power seats using the
memory button if the seat backrest is in an
extremely reclined position. Doing so could
cause damage to front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright posi-
tion.

107 Controls in detail
Memory function
Storing exterior rear view mirror park-ing position
For easier parking you can adjust the pas-
senger exterior rear view mirror so that you
can see the right rear wheel as soon as you
engage reverse gearR.
For information on activating the parking
position, see “Setting parking position for
exterior rear view mirror” (
page 142).The buttons are located on the driver’s
door.
1Exterior rear view mirror
2Adjustment button
MMemory button

Stop the vehicle.

Switch ignition on (if not already on).

Press button1.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror is selected.

Adjust the exterior rear view mirror
with button2 so that you see the rear
wheel and the road curb.

Press memory button M.

Within three seconds, press bottom of
adjustment button2.
The parking position is stored if the
mirror does not move.
iYou can store a parking position for the
passenger-side exterior rear view mir-
ror for each key or KEYLESS-GO* card.
iIf the mirror does move, repeat the
above steps. After the setting is stored
you can move the mirror again.

108 Controls in detailLighting
LightingFor notes on how to switch on the head-
lamps and use the turn signals, see the
“Getting started” section (
page 46).
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
M
Off
U
Automatic headlamp mode
C
Parking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
Canada only: When engine is run-
ning, the low beams are also
switched on.
B
Low beam plus parking lamps or
high beam headlamps (combination
switch pushed forward).
ˆ
Standing lamps, right (turn left one
stop)
‚
Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
iIf you remove the key and open the
driver’s door while the parking lamps or
low beam headlamps are switched on,
then

a warning sounds


$
appears in the multifunction
display


the message
TURN OFF LIGHTS!
ap-
pears in the multifunction display
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the engine running, the
low beam headlamps cannot be
switched off manually.