2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S CLASS reset

199 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic*
When activated, the Distronic adaptive
cruise control system increases driving
convenience afforded by the cruise control
during travel on expressways and other
major roads.

If the Distronic distance sensor detects
a slower moving vehicle directly ahead,
your vehicle speed will be reduced so
that you follow that vehicle at a preset
distance.


If there is no vehicle directly ahead of
you, Distronic will function in the same
way as cruise control (
page 196).
Warning!
G
Distronic adaptive cruise control is no sub-
stitute for active driving involvement. It does
not react to stationary objects, nor recog-
nize or predict the curvature and lane layout
or the movement of vehicles ahead. Distron-
ic can only apply a maximum of 20% of the
vehicle’s braking power.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to traffic and road conditions
and to provide the steering, braking and oth-
er driving inputs necessary to retain control
of the vehicle.Warning!
G
Distronic is a convenience system. Its speed
adjustment reduction capability is intended
to make cruise control more effective and
usable when traffic speeds vary. However, it
is not intended to, nor does it, replace the
need for extreme care. The responsibility for
the vehicle speed and the distance to the ve-
hicle ahead, including most importantly
brake operation to assure safe stopping dis-
tance, always rests with the driver.
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account.
Warning!
G
Distronic requires familiarity with its opera-
tional characteristics. We strongly recom-
mend that you review the following
information carefully before operating the
system.iFor operation in the USA only: This de-
vice complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions:

This device may not cause harmful
interference, and


this device must accept any inter-
ference received, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired
operation.
Any unauthorized modification to this
device could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.

200 Controls in detailDriving systemsWarning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the weather, road, and traffic conditions
make it advisable to travel at a steady
speed.Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.
Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, Distronic will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.
Distronic is designed and intended only to
maintain a set speed and keep a set dis-
tance from moving objects in front of it.Warning!
G
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

202 Controls in detailDriving systems
Distronic menu in the control system
In the Distronic menu you see the current
settings for Distronic. What appears in the
display depends on whether Distronic and
the distance warning function are turned
on or off.
Press button
è
or
ÿ
repeatedly
until you see one of the following dis-
plays.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the
Distronic warning lamp
l
in the instru-
ment cluster is illuminated if the Distronic
system calculates that the distance to the
vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s current
speed indicate that Distronic will not be ca-
pable of slowing the vehicle sufficiently to
maintain the preset following distance,
which creates a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake your vehicle to increase
the distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front of you. The warning sound is
intended as a final caution that you have not
interceded with your own braking inputs to
avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Do
not wait for the operation of the warning sig-
nal to intercede with your own braking, as
that will result in potentially dangerous
emergency braking which will not always re-
sult in an impact being avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
Distronic brakes your vehicle with a maxi-
mum of 6.5 ft/s
2 (2 m/s
2). This corre-
sponds to about 20% of the maximum
deceleration ability of your vehicle.
Distronic brakes the vehicle in an effort to
restore the preset distance or to maintain
the speed. The brake pedal is automatically
applied as this happens which results in the
brake pedal moving.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the Distronic system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.

205 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a lower speed
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow2 (
page 203) to
decrease vehicle speed in increments
of 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h)
The new speed is set.
The stored speed is displayed in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds (
page 203), and one or two
segments around the stored speed light up
on the speedometer (
page 201).Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 203).Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function)

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4 (
page 203).
Distronic is set to the last stored
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the rate of de-
celeration is too low.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to preset
speed could cause an accident and/or seri-
ous injury you and others.

243 Controls in detail
Useful features
Upgrade Signals
The Tele Aid system processes calls using
the following priority:

Automatic emergency – First priority


Manual emergency – Second priority


Roadside Assistance – Third priority


Information – Fourth priority
Should a higher priority call be initiated
while you are connected, an upgrade (al-
ternating) tone will be heard, and the ap-
propriate indicator lamp will flash. If
certain information such as vehicle identi-
fication number or customer information is
not available, the operator may need to re-
transmit.
During this time you will hear a beep and
voice contact will be interrupted. Voice
contact will resume once the retransmis-
sion is completed. Once a call is conclud-
ed, a beep will be heard and the
appropriate indicator lamp will stop flash-
ing. The COMAND system operation will
resume.
!If the indicator lamp continues to flash
or the system does not reset, contact
the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or
Mercedes-Benz Customer Assistance
at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Cus-
tomer Service at 1-800-387-0100 in
Canada.iThe indicator lamp in the respective
button flashes until the call is conclud-
ed. Calls can only be terminated by a
Response Center or Customer Assis-
tance Center representative except
Roadside Assistance and Information
calls, which can also be terminated by
pressing button
ì
on the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated,
the audio system or the COMAND sys-
tem audio is muted and the selected
mode (radio, tape or CD) pauses. The
optional cellular phone (if installed)
switches off. If you must use this
phone, the vehicle must be parked. Dis-
connect the coiled cord and place the
call. The COMAND navigation system
(if engaged) will continue to run. The
display in the instrument cluster is
available for use and spoken com-
mands are only available by pressing
the RPT button on the COMAND unit. A
pop-up window will appear in the CO-
MAND display to indicate that a
Tele Aid call is in progress.

276 OperationTires and wheelsActivating the tire inflation pressure
monitor
You must activate the tire inflation pres-
sure monitor in the following cases:

If you have changed the tire pressure


If you have replaced the wheels or tires


If you have installed new wheels or
tires

Make sure that the tire pressure is cor-
rectly set.

Press button
è
or
ÿ
on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel repeatedly
until the standard display menu appear
in the in the multifunction display
(
page 135).

Press the
j
or
k
button repeat-
edly until you see the current inflation
pressures for each tire appear in the
display
or the following message appears in
the display
TIRE PRES. MONITOR

PRES. DISPLAY AFTER DRIVING A FEW
MINS. REACTIVATE USING R BUTTON

Press the reset button
J
(page 22).
The following message will appear in
the multifunction display:
CHECK CURRENT TIRE PRES.?


Press the
æ
button.
The following message will appear in
the multifunction display field:
TIRE PRES. MONITOR ACTIVATED

The tire inflation pressure monitor will
now monitor the tire inflation pressure
values of all four tires.
The following message will appear in
the multifunction display field:
TIRE PRES. MONITOR

PRES. DISPLAY AFTER DRIVING A FEW
MINS. REACTIVATE USING R BUTTONThis display appears until the individual
inflation pressure values are matched
with the tires. The individual values are
then displayed (
page 274).
iIf transporting a deflated road wheel or
additional wheel sensors in the vehicle,
the tire inflation pressure monitor
should not be reactivated until the de-
flated wheel or additional wheel sen-
sors have been removed from the
vehicle. Otherwise, the deflated wheel
or additional sensors could cause the
tire inflation pressure monitor system
to malfunction.

280 OperationMaintenance
MaintenanceWe strongly recommend that you have
your vehicle serviced by your authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center, in accordance with
the Service Booklet at the times called for
by the FSS (Flexible Service System).
Failure to have the vehicle maintained in
accordance with the Service Booklet at the
designated times /mileage called for by
the FSS may result in vehicle damage not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
FSS will notify you when your next service
is due.
Approximately one month before your next
service is due, one of the following mes-
sages will appear in the multifunction dis-
play while you are driving or when you
switch on the ignition (example service A):SERVICE A IN XXXXX MILES (KM)
SERVICE A IN XXX DAYS
SERVICE A IN X DAY
SERVICE A DUE NOW!
The type of service due is indicated in the
multifunction display:9
Minor service (A)
´
Major service (B)
Clearing the service indicator
The service indicator is automatically
cleared after 30 seconds. You can also
clear it yourself.
Press the reset button
J
to the right in
the instrument cluster (page 22).
Service term exceeded
If you have exceeded the suggested ser-
vice term, you will see the following mes-
sage in the multifunction display:SERVICE A EXCEEDED BY XXXX MILES (KM)
SERVICE A EXCEEDED BY XXX DAYS
SERVICE A EXCEEDED BY X DAYAn acoustic signal will also sound.
The Mercedes-Benz Center will reset the
service indicator following a completed
service.
iThe interval between services depends
on your driving habits. A gentle driving
style, moderate engine speeds and the
avoidance of short distance trips will
lengthen the interval between services.

281 Operation
Maintenance
Calling up the service indicator
Switch on ignition.
The standard display of the control sys-
tem appears (
page 135).

Press button
k
or
j
on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel until FSS indi-
cator with the service symbol
9
or
´
and the service deadline appears
in the multifunction display.
Resetting the service indicator
In the event that the service on your vehi-
cle is not carried out by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center, you can reset the
service indicator yourself.
Switch on ignition.
The standard display of the control sys-
tem appears (
page 135).

Press button
k
or
j
on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel until the FSS
indicator with the service symbol
9

or
´
and the service deadline ap-
pears in the multifunction display.

Press the reset button
J
(page 22)
to the right in the instrument cluster for
about two seconds.
This message appears in the multifunc-
tion display:
SERVICE INTERVAL?
RESET WITH R BUTTON

To confirm, hold down the reset knob
until you hear a signal.
The service indicator now displays the
reset interval.
iIf the battery is disconnected, the days
of disconnection will not be included in
the count shown by the service indica-
tor. To arrive at the true service dead-
line, you will need to subtract these
days from the days shown in the ser-
vice indicator.
Do not confuse the service indicator
with the engine oil level indicator
:
.
iIf the service indicator was inadvertent-
ly reset, have a Mercedes-Benz Center
correct it.
Only reset if the proper service has
been performed. Resetting the system
without performing proper service as
called for by the FSS will cause the FSS
to incorrectly determine the next ser-
vice interval which will result in engine
damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.