2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 4MATIC display

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.

206 Controls in detailDriving systemsDeactivating Distronic
There are several ways to deactivate the
Distronic system:
Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow3 (
page 203).
or

Step on the brake pedal.
Distronic will be deactivated. The last
speed set will be stored into memory.Distronic deactivates automatically when:


you set the parking brake


you drive slower than
25 mph (40 km/h)


the ESP is active (
page 78) or you de-
activate the ESP


you move the transmission selector le-
ver into positionN
A signal will sound. The
DISTRONIC OFF

message appears in the multifunction
display for approximately five seconds.Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.
iThe following message will appear in
the multifunction display for approxi-
mately five seconds:
DISTRONIC OFF
.
The last stored speed is deleted when
you turn off the engine.
Warning!
G
Distronic switches off and releases the
brakes when the vehicle decelerates below
the minimum speed of approximately
25 mph (40 km / h) by operation of the sys-
tem. At that time the driver must apply the
brakes in order to reduce vehicle speed fur-
ther or bring it to a stop.

208 Controls in detailDriving systems
Activating
Press switch1.
The indicator lamp on the switch lights
up. A loudspeaker symbol appears in
the multifunction display (
page 203).
Deactivating

Press switch1.
The indicator lamp on the switch goes
out.Driving with Distronic
This section describes a number of driving
situations where special precaution is re-
quired on the part of the driver. Be pre-
pared to brake in such situations which will
deactivate the Distronic system.
Warning!
G
If the Distronic warning lamp
l
in the in-
strument cluster lights up while driving
and/or an intermittent warning sounds, im-
mediate attention on the part of the driver is
required.
As required by the traffic situation, apply the
brakes and navigate around a possible ob-
stacle. However, do not drive by relying on
the distance warning function, as this will re-
sult in an emergency braking application.
Especially depending on road surface condi-
tions and driver reaction, this will not always
enable you to avoid a collision.
iComplex driving situations are not al-
ways fully recognized by Distronic. This
could result in wrong or missing dis-
tance warnings.
Warning!
G
Distronic works to maintain the speed se-
lected by the driver unless a moving obsta-
cle proceeding directly ahead of it in the
same travel direction is detected (e.g. fol-
lowing another vehicle ahead of you at a dis-
tance set by Distronic). This means that:

Your vehicle can pass another vehicle
after you change lanes.


While in a sharp turn or if the vehicle in
front is in a sharp turn, Distronic could
lose sight of a vehicle traveling in front
of it, then your vehicle could accelerate
to the previously selected speed.


209 Controls in detail
Driving systems
The most likely cause for a malfunctioning
system is a dirty sensor (located behind
the hood grille), especially at times of snow
and ice or heavy rain. In such a case, Dis-
tronic will switch off, and the message DISTRONIC - CLEAN SENSOR! SEE
OPERATOR’S MAN.
appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
For cleaning and care of the Distronic sen-
sor, see “Cleaning the Distronic* system
sensor cover” (page 285).Turns and bends
In turns or bends, Distronic may not detect
a moving vehicle in front, or it may detect
one too soon. This may cause your vehicle
to brake late or unexpectedly.
Distronic regulates only the distance be-
tween your vehicle and those directly ahead
of it, but does not register stationary objects
in the road, e.g.:

a stopped vehicle in a traffic jam


a disabled vehicle


an oncoming vehicle
The driver must always be on the alert, ob-
serve all traffic and intercede as required by
steering or braking the vehicle.
Warning!
G
Distronic should not be used in snowy or icy
road conditions.

iIf the message
DISTRONIC - CLEAN
SENSOR! SEE OPERATOR’S MAN.
disap-
pears during driving and the last speed
stored flashes for approximately five
seconds, the dirt (e.g. slush) has dis-
solved; Distronic is again operational.

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.

216 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
The switch with the indicator lamps is lo-
cated in the upper part of the center con-
sole.
1Indicator lamps
2Vehicle level control switch

Briefly press switch2 to change from
one level setting to the next. When ve-
hicle is at level 2, pressing the switch
will return the vehicle to normal level.
The message:ACTIVE BODY CONTROL
VEHICLE RISING appears in the multifunction display.
The display switches off when the vehi-
cle is raised.
Vehicle level when
stationary
Use for
Ride height increase
over normal
Automatic lowering
Indicator lamps
Normal
Normal operation
None
Max. approx. 0.6 in (15 mm)
Both lamps off
Level 1
Driving with snow chains
(page 247)
Max. 0.4 in (10 mm)
1
1Dependent on loading
Max. approx. 1.0 in (25 mm)
One lamp lit
Level 2
Very rough road surface
conditions
Max. 0.8 in (20 mm)
1
Max. approx. 1.4 in (35 mm)
Both lamps lit

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.

239 Controls in detail
Useful features
Once the emergency call is in progress, the
indicator lamp in the SOS button will begin
to flash. The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CONNECTING CALL
appears in the multifunc-
tion display. When the connection is estab-
lished, the message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL CONNECTED
appears in the multifunc-
tion display. All information relevant to the
emergency, such as the location of the ve-
hicle (determined by the GPS satellite loca-
tion system), vehicle model, identification
number and color are generated.
A voice connection between the Response
Center and the occupants of the vehicle
will be established automatically soon af-
ter the emergency call has been initiated.
When a voice connection is established,
the audio system mutes and the message
TELE AID – EMERGENCY CALL ACTIVE
ap-
pears in the multifunction display. The Re-
sponse Center will attempt to determine
more precisely the nature of the accident
provided they can speak to an occupant of
the vehicle.The Tele Aid system is available if:


it has been activated and is operation-
al. Activation requires a subscription
for monitoring services, connection,
and cellular air time


the relevant cellular phone network
and GPS signals are available and pass
the information on to the response cen-
teriLocation of the vehicle on a map is only
possible if the vehicle is able to receive
signals from the GPS satellite network
and pass the information on to the re-
sponse center.
Warning!
G
If the indicator lamp in the SOS button is il-
luminated continuously and there was no
voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could
not initiate an emergency call (e.g. the rele-
vant cellular phone network is not available).
The message
EMERGENCY CALL –
CALL FAILED appears in the multifunction
display for approximately 10 seconds.
Should this occur, assistance must be sum-
moned by other means.