Page 123 of 416
123 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching on rear fog lamp
Make sure that the low beam head-
lamps are switched on.
Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The yellow indicator lamp
†
in the
lamp switch lights up.
Combination switch
The combination switch is located on the
left side of the steering column.
1High beam
2High beam flasherSwitching on high beams
Turn exterior lamp switch to
position
B
(page 120).
Push the combination switch in
direction1.
The high beam symbol is illuminated on
the instrument cluster (
page 22).
High beam flasher
Pull the combination switch briefly in
direction2.
Page 127 of 416

127 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Instrument cluster
A full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 22).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you
open a door
turn on the ignition
press the reset button
J
(page 22)
switch on the exterior lamps
You can change the instrument cluster set-
tings in the Instrument cluster submenu of
the control system (
page 149).
Instrument cluster illumination
1Knob for adjusting instrument cluster
illumination
Use knob1 to adjust the illumination
brightness for the instrument cluster.
Press knob1. The knob will pop out.
To brighten illumination
Turn knob1 in the instrument cluster
clockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
brighten.
To dim illumination
Turn knob1 in the instrument cluster
counterclockwise.
The instrument cluster illumination will
dim.
iThe instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to
suit ambient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will
also be adjusted automatically when
you switch on the vehicle’s exterior
lamps.
Page 128 of 416

128 Controls in detailInstrument clusterCoolant temperature gaugeDuring severe operating conditions and
stop-and-go city traffic, the coolant tem-
perature may rise close to 248° F (120°C),
i.e. close to the red zone of the tempera-
ture gauge.
The engine should not be operated with
the coolant temperature above 248° F
(120°C), i.e. in the red zone of the temper-
ature gauge. Doing so may cause serious
engine damage which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Trip odometer
Make sure you are viewing the trip odome-
ter display.
Press the
è
or
ÿ
button on the
multifunction steering wheel repeated-
ly until the trip odometer appears if it is
not displayed (
page 130).
Press and hold reset button
J
on the
instrument cluster (
page 22) until
the trip odometer is reset.
Warning!
G
Driving when your engine is badly over-
heated can cause some fluids which
may have leaked into the engine com-
partment to catch fire. You could be se-
riously burned.
Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the engine hood. Stay away
from the engine if you see or hear steam
coming from it.
Turn off the engine, get out of the vehicle
and do not stand near the vehicle until it
cools down.
iExcessive coolant temperatures trigger
a warning in the multifunction display.
Page 129 of 416

129 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
S 55 AMG
The tachometer of the S 55 AMG does not
have a red marking denoting excessive en-
gine speed.
To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated at
an excessive engine speed.
Outside temperature indicator
The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-
a t u r e c a n o n l y b e v e r i f i e d b y c o m p a r i s o n t o
a thermometer placed next to the sensor,
not by comparison to external displays
(e.g. bank signs etc.).When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
!Avoid driving at excessive engine
speeds, as it may result in serious en-
gine damage that is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d t o s e r v e a s a n i c e - w a r n i n g d e v i c e a n d
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.
Page 130 of 416

130 Controls in detailControl system
Control systemThe control system is activated as soon as
the SmartKey in the starter switch is
turned to position1. The control system
enables you to:
call up information about your vehicle
change vehicle settings
For example, you can use the control sys-
tem to find out when your vehicle is next
due for service, to set the language for
messages in the instrument cluster dis-
play, and much more.
The control system relays information to
the multifunction display.
Multifunction display
1Trip odometer
2Main odometer
iThe displays for the audio systems (ra-
dio, CD player) will appear in English,
regardless of the language selected.
Warning!
G
A driver’s attention to the road and traffic
conditions must always be his /her primary
focus when driving.
For your safety and the safety of others, se-
lecting features through the multifunction
steering wheel should only be done by the
driver when traffic and road conditions per-
mit it to be done safely.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 13.5 m) every second.
Page 134 of 416
134 Controls in detailControl systemMenus, submenus and functions
Menu 1
Menu 2
Menu 3
Menu 4
Menu 5
Menu 6
Menu 7
Menu 8
Commands/submenusStandard dis-
play
AUDIO
Telephone*
NAVI
Distronic*
Trip computer
Malfunction
memory
Settings
Call up FSS
Select radio
station
Load phone
book
Activate
route guid-
ance
Call up set-
tings
Fuel consumption
statistics after
start
Call up malfunc-
tion messages
Reset to factory
settings
Check tire pres-
sure*
Operate CD
player
Search for
name in
phone book
Fuel consumption
statistics since
the last reset
Instrument clus-
ter submenu
Check engine oil
level
Call up range
Lighting sub-
menu
Digital speed-
ometer
Vehicle sub-
menuConvenience
submenu
Page 144 of 416

144 Controls in detailControl system
Fuel consumption since last reset
Press button
ÿ
or
è
repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
trip computer menu.
Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see this message in the dis-
play:
AFTER RESET
.
1Distance driven since last reset
2Time elapsed since last reset
3Average fuel consumption since last re-
set
4Average speed since last resetResetting fuel consumption statistics
Press button
ÿ
or
è
repeatedly
until you see the first function of the
Trip computer menu.
Press button
j
or
k
repeatedly
until you see the reading that you want
to reset in the display.
Press and hold the reset button
J
in
the instrument cluster (
page 22) un-
til the value is reset to
0.
iThe
AFTER START
display will flash until
a distance of approximately 1 mile (1.6
km) has been covered or two minutes
have elapsed since the engine was re-
started. During this period, you can in-
corporate the values for the previous
journey by pressing
J
in the instru-
ment cluster.
If button
J
is not pressed, the AFTER
START values are set to 0.
Page 147 of 416
147 Controls in detail
Control system
Submenus in the Settings menu
Press button
k
or
j
.
In the display you see the collection of
the submenus.
Press button
ç
or
æ
.
The selection marker moves to the next
submenu.
The submenus are arranged by hierarchy.
Scroll down with the
ç
button, scroll up
with the
æ
button.
Move within the submenus with the
k
or
j
button to the individual functions.
The settings themselves are made with
buttonæ
or
ç
.Resetting the functions of a submenu
For each submenu you can reset all the
functions to the factory settings.
Move to a function in the submenu.
Press the reset button
J
(page 22)
in the instrument cluster for approxi-
mately three seconds.
In the display you will see the request
to press the reset button
J
again to
confirm.
Press the reset button
J
again.
All functions of the submenu will reset
to factory settings.