Page 351 of 416

351 Practical hints
Towing the vehicle
Installing towing eye bolt
1Cover on right side of front bumper2Cover on right side of rear bumper
Removing cover
Press mark on cover in direction of ar-
row.
Lift cover off to reveal threaded hole for 
towing eye bolt.
Installing towing eye bolt
Take towing eye bolt and wheel wrench 
out of trunk (
page 322).
Screw towing eye bolt clockwise into 
its stop and tighten with wheel wrench.
!When towing the vehicle with all wheels 
on the ground, please note the follow-
ing:
With the automatic central locking acti-
vated and the SmartKey in starter 
switch position2, or KEYLESS-GO* 
start/stop button (if so equipped) in 
position2, the vehicle doors lock if the 
left front wheel as well as the right rear 
wheel are turning at vehicle speeds of 
approximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or 
more.
Switch off the tow-away alarm 
(page 84).
To prevent the vehicle doors from lock-
ing, deactivate the automatic central 
locking (
page 102).
Towing of the vehicle should only be 
done using the properly installed tow-
ing eye bolt. Never attach tow cable, 
tow rope or tow rod to vehicle chassis, 
frame or suspension parts.
iThe selector lever will remain locked in 
positionP and the SmartKey will not 
turn in the starter switch if the battery 
is disconnected or discharged. See 
notes on the battery (
page 344) or 
on jump starting (
page 347). 
     
        
        Page 368 of 416
368 Technical dataElectrical system
Electrical systemModel
S 430, S 500
S 55 AMG
S 600
Generator (alternator)
14 V / 150 A
14 V / 180 A
14 V / 180 A
Starter motor
12 V / 1.7 kW
12 V / 1.8 kW
12 V / 1.7 kW
Battery
12 V / 95 Ah
12 V / 95 Ah
12 V / 95 Ah
Spark plugs
Bosch F 8 DPP332
Beru 14 FGH 8 DPUR X 2
NGK PFR 5 R-11
NGK ILFR 6 A
NGK IFR 6 Q-G
Electrode gap
0.039 in. (1.0 mm)
0.031 in. (0.8 mm)
0.028 in. (0.7 mm)
Tightening torque
15 – 22 ft.lb. (20 – 30 Nm)
15 – 22 ft.lb. (20 – 30 Nm)
15 – 22 ft.lb. (20 – 30 Nm) 
     
        
        Page 397 of 416

397 Index
Rolling code programming 246
Interior lighting 124
Activating automatic control 125
Deactivating automatic control 125
Delayed shut-off 153
Manual operation 125
Interior storage spaces 224
Cup holder 229
Glove box 224
Parcel net 232
Storage compartment in front of arm-
rest 225, 226, 227, 228
J
Jump starting 347
K
Key dependency memory
Settings 156
Key see SmartKey 30, 52
Key, mechanical 326
Key, SmartKey
Positions in starter switch 31
KEYLESS-GO* 383
Activating ignition with 33
Closing side windows 93
Closing sliding/pop-up roof 93Closing sliding/pop-up roof with 190, 
194
Closing windows with 190, 194
Locking the vehicle 93
Loss of KEYLESS-GO card 94
Messages in display 303
Starting the engine 43
Turning off engine 53
Unlocking with 32
KEYLESS-GO* card 89
Checking the batteries 92
Checking vehicle lock status 93
Factory setting 91
Global locking 91
Global unlocking 92
Loss of 94
Messages in display 303
Reprogramming 91
Unlocking 89
Keys 86
Kickdown 165, 383
Kilometers/miles in speedometer 149
Km/h or mph in speedometer 149L
Lamp bulbs, exterior 331
Lamps, exterior
Front 331
Light sensor 312
Messages in display 314
Rear 332
Lamps, indicator and warning
ABS 291
Airbag Off 61
Battery (SmartKey) 87
Brakes 293
CHECK ENGINE 294
Coolant 304
DTR* 201
Engine diagnostics 294
ESP 290
Fuel reserve 294
Instrument cluster 290–294
Seat belts 294
Service indicator 280
SRS 57
Language
Multifunction display 150
Setting 150
LATCH child seat anchors 72 
     
        
        Page 405 of 416

405 Index
Simultaneous wiping and washing
Windshield wipers 48
Single wipe 47
Sliding/pop-up roof 192
Closing 192, 330
Closing with KEYLESS-GO* 93, 190, 
194
Closing with SmartKey 194
Opening 192, 330
Opening with SmartKey 194
Stopping 193
Synchronizing 195
SmartKey 30
Battery check lamp 87
Changing batteries 328
Changing the batteries 328, 329
Checking the batteries 88
Factory setting 87
Global locking 87
Global locking and unlocking 87
Global unlocking 87
Locking and unlocking 86
Loss of 89
Opening and closing the slid-
ing/pop-up roof with 194
Opening and closing windows with 190Remote controls 86
Restoring to factory setting 88
Selective setting 87
Starting the engine 43
Turning off the engine 52
Unlocking with 30
SmartKey positions in starter switch 31
Snow chains 279
Spare fuses 323
Spare parts service 358
Speed
Setting current 197
Setting to last stored speed in Distron-
ic* ("Resume" function) 205
Speed settings
Cruise control 198
Distronic* 204, 205
Speedometer
Displaying gear range 162
Displays 201
Settings units 149
Speedometer display mode
Selecting 149
Sporty driving style 214
SRS 64, 385
Indicator lamp 292SRS indicator lamp 56
Standing lamps 120
Replacing bulbs 331, 332, 335
Standing water
Driving instructions 257
Starter switch 31
Positions 31
Starting difficulties 44
Starting position 31
Starting the engine 42
Station (radio)
Search 136
Station selection
Setting 154
Steering column
Height adjustment 38
Length adjustment 38
Steering wheel
Adjusting 37
Adjustment 38
Cleaning 287
Heated steering wheel* 235
Height adjustment 38
Steering wheel adjustment 38