2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS key

211 Controls in detail
Driving systems
AIRMATIC
AIRMATIC automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle. AIRMATIC consists of two
components:

Adaptive Damping System (ADS)


Level control system
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driving
conditions. At the same time the suspen-
sion is set to either sporty or regular.Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:


Your driving style


Road surface conditions


Your choice of suspension style,
“sporty” or “regular”, which you select
using the damping switch.
The following suspension styles are avail-
able:


Regular
Both indicator lamps1 are off.


Sporty I
One indicator lamp1 is on.


Sporty II
Both indicator lamps1 are on.1Indicator lamps
2Damping switch

Start the engine.

Press the damping switch2 until the
desired suspension style is set.iThe selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.

213 Controls in detail
Driving systems

Briefly press switch2 to change from
one level setting to the other.
The message:AIRMATIC
VEHICLE RISING appears in the multifunction display
when changing from normal level to
raised level. The indicator lamp is then
lit. The display switches off when the
vehicle is raised.

Press switch2 again to lower the vehi-
cle. The indicator lamp is off.The selected vehicle level setting remains
stored in memory even if the engine is
turned off and restarted except when you


exceed a speed of 75 mph (120 km/h)
or


maintain a speed of between 50 mph
(80 km/h) and 75 mph (120 km/h) for
more than 5 minutes
The vehicle then lowers to regular level.
The message:
AIRMATIC
LEV. SELECT. CANCELED!appears in the multifunction display and
the indicator lamp is off. The display
switches off when the vehicle is raised.
Active Body Control (ABC)*
The ABC system automatically selects the
optimum suspension tuning and ride
height for your vehicle.
Suspension tuning
The suspension tuning is set according to:

Your driving style


Road surface conditions


The vehicle loading


Your choice of suspension style,
“sporty” or “regular”, which you select
using the ABC button
The selected suspension style is stored
in memory, even after the SmartKey is
removed from the starter switch.

224 Controls in detailUseful features
Useful featuresInterior storage spaces Glove box
1Unlocked position
2Locked position
3Glove box lid release
Opening the glove box

Press glove box lid release3.
The glove box lid opens downward.
Closing the glove box

Push lid up to close.Storage compartment in the glove box
An AUX socket 1 is located on the left side
of the glove box. Portable audio devices
can be plugged in here. A storage compart-
ment is located in the cover of the glove
box. It can be used to store check cards,
pens, a flashlight, etc.
1AUX socket
2Storage compartment in glove box

Lightly press the marking on the lid of
storage compartment2.
The lid opens upward.
Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury during a colli-
sion or sudden maneuver, exercise care
when stowing objects in the vehicle. Put lug-
g a g e o r c a r g o i n t h e t r u n k i f p o s s i b l e . D o n o t
pile luggage or cargo higher than the seat
backs.
Luggage nets cannot secure hard or heavy
objects.
Keep compartment lids closed. This will help
to prevent stored objects from being thrown
about and injuring vehicle occupants during
an accident.
iThe glove box can be locked and un-
locked with the mechanical key.

233 Controls in detail
Useful features
Removing ashtray insert
Secure vehicle from movement by set-
ting the parking brake. Move the selec-
tor lever to positionN.
Now you have more room to take out
the insert.

Push sliding button2 to the right.
The ashtray is disengaged and slides
out a short way.

Remove insert from ashtray frame.
Reinstalling the ashtray insert

Install insert by pushing it back into the
frame until it engages.Rear door ashtray
Opening ashtray

Lightly touch the back of the ashtray.
Removing ashtray insert

Pull the ashtray back slightly and re-
move the insert (see arrows).
Reinstalling the ashtray insert

Position the insert and press down
while sliding forward.
Cigarette lighters
1Center console cigarette lighter
Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.

Briefly touch cover plate to open ash-
tray and access cigarette lighter.

Push in cigarette lighter1.
The lighter will pop out automatically
when hot.
Warning!
G
Remove front ashtray only with vehicle
standing still. Set the parking brake to se-
cure vehicle from movement. Move gear se-
lector lever to positionN. With gear selector
lever in positionN turn off the engine.

234 Controls in detailUseful features
1Rear door lighters
Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.

Lightly touch the back of the ashtray to
open it (
page 233).

Push in cigarette lighter1.
The lighter will pop out automatically
when hot.
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the lighter; they are extremely hot. Hold the
knob only.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of
vehicle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.iThe lighter socket can be used to ac-
commodate electrical accessories up
to a maximum 85 W.
Warning!
G
Never touch the heating element or sides of
the lighter; they are extremely hot. Hold the
knob only.
To avoid possible injury to children sitting in
the rear seat, deactivate the operation of
the rear door windows, see (
page 74). De-
activation of the rear windows also deacti-
vates the lighters.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) with you
and lock the vehicle. Do not leave children
unattended in the vehicle, or with access to
an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of
vehicle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

237 Controls in detail
Useful features
Tele Aid The Tele Aid system
(Tele
matic A
larm I
dentification on D
e-
mand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:


Automatic and manual emergency


Roadside Assistance, and


Information
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and cel-
lular and GPS coverage is available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted using the volume control on
the multifunction steering wheel. To turn
volume up, press button
æ
. Press
button
ç
to turn volume down.

To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button
•
or
the Information button
¡
, depend-
ing on the type of response required.Shortly after the completion of your ac-
quaintance call, you will receive a user ID
and password via first call mail. By visiting
www.mbusa.com and selecting “Tele Aid”
(USA only), you will have access to account
information, remote door unlock, and
more.
!The initial activation of the Tele Aid sys-
tem may only be performed by com-
pleting the subscriber agreement and
placing an acquaintance call using the
SOS button. Failure to complete either
of these steps will result in a system
that is not activated. If the system is
not activated, the indicator lamp in the
SOS button stays on after turning
SmartKey in starter switch to
position2 or pressing KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button (if so equipped)
twice to position2 (
page 33). The
message
TELE AID – NOT ACTIVATED

will be shown in the multifunction dis-
play for approximately 10 seconds.
If you have any questions regarding ac-
tivation, please call the Response Cen-
ter at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
iThe SOS button is located above the in-
side rear view mirror.
The Roadside Assistance button
•

and the Information button
¡
are
located below the center armrest cov-
er.

238 Controls in detailUseful featuresSystem self-check
Initially, after turning the SmartKey in
starter switch to position2, malfunctions
are detected and indicated (the indicator
lamps in the SOS button, the Roadside As-
sistance button
•
and the Information
button
¡
stay on longer than
10 seconds or do not come on). The mes-
sage
TELE AID – VISIT WORKSHOP!
ap-
pears for approximately 10 seconds in the
multifunction display.Emergency calls
An emergency call is initiated automatical-
ly:


Following an accident in which the
emergency tensioning devices (ETDs)
or airbags deploy


If the anti-theft alarm or the tow-away
alarm stays on for more than
20 seconds. See anti-theft alarm sys-
tem (
page 82) and tow-away alarm
(
page 84)
An emergency call can also be initiated
manually by opening the cover next to the
inside rear view mirror labeled SOS, then
briefly pressing the button located under
the cover. See below for instructions on
initiating an emergency call manually.
iThe Tele Aid system utilizes the cellular
network for communication and the
GPS (Global Positioning System) satel-
lites for vehicle location. If either of
these signals are unavailable, the Tele
Aid system may not function and if this
occurs, assistance must be summoned
by other means.
Warning!
G
If the indicator lamps in the SOS button, in
the Roadside Assistance button and/or in
the Information button remain illuminated
constantly in red and/or the message TELE AID – VISIT WORKSHOP!
is dis-
played in the multifunction display after the
system self-check, a malfunction in the sys-
tem has been detected.
If a malfunction is indicated as outlined
above, the system may not operate as ex-
pected. Have the system checked at the
nearest Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.

241 Controls in detail
Useful features
A voice connection between the Roadside
Assistance dispatcher and the occupants
of the vehicle will be established. When a
voice connection is established, the audio
system mutes and the message
TELE AID
– ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE CALL ACTIVE
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.

Describe the nature of the need for as-
sistance.
The Mercedes-Benz Roadside Assistance
dispatcher will either dispatch a qualified
Mercedes-Benz technician or arrange to
tow your vehicle to the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center. For services such
as labor and/or towing, charges may ap-
ply. Refer to the Roadside Assistance man-
ual for more information.These programs are only available in the
USA:


Sign and Drive services: Services such
as jump start, a few gallons of fuel or
the replacement of a flat tire with the
vehicle spare tire are obtainable.


Remote Vehicle Diagnostics: This func-
tion permits the Mercedes-Benz Road-
side Assistance dispatcher to
download malfunction codes and actu-
al vehicle data.
iThe indicator lamp in the Roadside As-
sistance button
•
remains illumi-
nated in red for approx. 10 seconds
during the system self-check after turn-
ing the key in the starter switch to
position2 (together with the SOS but-
ton and the Information button
¡
).
See system self-check (
page 238)
when the indicator lamp does not light
up in red or stays on longer than ap-
proximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp in the Roadside
Assistance button
•
is continuous-
ly illuminated and no voice connection
to the Response Center was estab-
lished, the Tele Aid system could not
initiate a Roadside Assistance call (e.g.
the relevant cellular phone network is
not available). The message
ROADSIDE
ASSISTANCE – CALL FAILED appears in
the multifunction display. Roadside As-
sistance calls can be terminated using
the
ì
button on the multifunction
steering wheel.