2003 MERCEDES-BENZ S55AMG light

183 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to
a minimum, switch off the defroster as
soon as the rear window is clear. The de-
froster is automatically deactivated after
approximately 6 to 17 minutes of opera-
tion depending on the outside tempera-
ture.
Activating
Press button
F
(page 175).
The indicator lamp on the button lights
up.
Deactivating

Press button
F
(page 175) again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Deactivating the climate control sys-
tem
Deactivating
It is possible to completely deactivate the
automatic climate control system. 
Press button
M
(page 175).
The display shows “0”.
Reactivating
There are several ways to reactivate the
automatic climate control system:

Press one of the following buttons, M
, P
, U
, a temperature con-
trol switch (
page 175) or air volume
switch 9 on the automatic climate con-
trol panel.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.!If the rear window defroster switches
off too soon and the indicator lamp
starts blinking, this means that too
many electrical consumers are operat-
ing simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system
responds automatically by deactivating
the rear window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient
voltage, the rear window defroster au-
tomatically switches on again.

184 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAir conditioning
The air conditioning is operational while
the engine is running and cools the interior
air to the temperature you have set.
Deactivating
It is possible to deactivate the air condi-
tioning (cooling) function of the automatic
climate control system. The air in the vehi-
cle will then no longer be cooled or dehu-
midified.
Press buttonAC
OFF
(page 175).
The indicator lamp on the
buttonAC
OFF
lights up.Activating
Moist air can fog up the windows. You can
dehumidify the air with the air condition-
ing.

PressAC
OFF
again (
page 175).
The indicator lamp on the AC
OFF
but-
ton goes out.
The air conditioning uses the refrigerant
R134a. This refrigerant is free of CFCs
which are harmful to the ozone layer.
Storage compartment ventilation
The storage compartment below the front
armrest (
page 225) has its own air vent.
Ventilation of the storage compartment
below the front armrest is possible only
when the climate control system is on. The
air volume depends on the setting of the
air distribution control, the air volume con-
trol, and the air vents in the dashboard.
The switch is located inside the storage
compartment in the front armrest
(
page 225).
Opening air vent

Push upper portion of switch.
Closing air vent

Push lower portion of switch.
iCondensation may drip out from under-
neath the vehicle. This is normal and
not an indication of a malfunction.
!If the AC
OFF
button on the automatic
climate control panel starts to blink,
the air conditioning may be losing re-
frigerant. The compressor was turned
off. The air conditioning cannot be
turned on again.
Have the air conditioning checked at
the nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

188 Controls in detailPower windows
Power windowsOpening and closing the windows
The side windows can be opened and
closed electrically. The switches for all the
side windows are on the driver’s door.
There are individual switches in the front
and rear doors for the respective windows.
1Right front window
2Right rear window
3Left rear window
4Left front window

Turn SmartKey in the starter switch to
position1 or2.
Opening the windows

Lightly press the symbol
k
on one
of the switches1 to4, until the corre-
sponding window reaches the desired
position.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
The closing of the windows can be immedi-
ately halted by releasing the switch or, if the
switch was pressed past the resistance
point and released, by pressing the respec-
tive switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you pressed the switch past the resistance
point and released it to close the window,
the automatic reversal function will stop the
window and open it slightly.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pressing and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
the
‹
button on the SmartKey, or by
pressing and
holding the lock button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) on the door handle, the auto-
matic reversal function will not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, take the
KEYLESS-GO* card (if so equipped) with
you, and lock your vehicle. Do not leave chil-
dren unattended in the vehicle, or with ac-
cess to an unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised
use of vehicle equipment may cause an
accident and/or serious personal injury.

189 Controls in detail
Power windows
Closing the windows
Lightly press the
j
symbol on one
of the switches 1 to4 until the corre-
sponding window reaches the desired
position.
When pulling and holding the switch to
close the window, and upward movement
of the window is blocked during the last
few inches before closure, the window will
stop but not open slightly.
Fully opening windows

Press the
k
symbol on one of the
switches 1 to 4 beyond the point of re-
sistance and then release the switch.
The window opens completely.Fully closing windows

Press the
j
symbol on one of the
switches 1 to 4 beyond the point of re-
sistance and then release the switch.
The window closes completely.
If the upward movement of the window is
blocked during the closing procedure, the
window will stop and open slightly.Stopping windows

Press respective switch again.
Warning!
G
Driver’s door only:
If within five seconds you again press the
switch past the resistance point and re-
lease, the automatic reversal function will
not function.
iYou can also open or close the win-
dows using the:

SmartKey (
page 190)


O
button in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 175)


e
button in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 175).

193 Controls in detail
Sliding/pop-up roof
Opening and closing the sliding/pop-up
roof
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or2 or press the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button.

To open, close, raise or lower the slid-
ing/pop-up roof, move the switch to re-
sistance point in the required direction.
Release the switch when the roof has
reached the required position.
Opening the sliding/pop-up roof auto-
matically
To select a sliding/pop-up roof opening
position, press the switch to the resistance
point and release it when the slid-
ing/pop-up roof has reached the required
position.
The sliding/pop up roof now opens to the
position set when the switch is pressed
past the resistance point in the "open" di-
rection.Closing the sliding/pop-up roof auto-
matically

Press the switch past the resistance
point in the “close” direction and re-
lease.
The sliding/pop-up roof closes completely.
Stopping the sliding / pop-up roof

Move the switch in any direction.
If the movement of the sliding/pop-up
roof is blocked during the closing pro-
cedure, the roof will stop and reopen
slightly.
iYou can also open or close the slid-
ing/pop-up roof using the:

SmartKey (
page 190)


O
button in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 175)


e
button in the control panel of
the automatic climate control
(
page 175)
!To avoid damaging the seals, do not
transport any objects with sharp edges
which can stick out of the slid-
ing/pop-up roof.
The sliding/pop-up roof can be opened
or closed manually should an electrical
malfunction occur (
page 330).

201 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic displays in the speedometer
dialSet speedIf Distronic is activated, one or two seg-
ments light up around the set speed.
SegmentsIf Distronic detects a vehicle directly
ahead, the segments (representing the
difference) between the speed of the
vehicle ahead and the set speed light up.
If Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision (
page 207):


The red Distronic warning lamp
l
in
the instrument cluster lights up.


An intermittent warning sounds.

Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the red Distronic warning
lamp
l
goes out when the neces-
sary distance to the vehicle ahead is
again established.
iThe vehicle speed displayed on the
speedometer can briefly vary from the
speed setting on the Distronic system.

204 Controls in detailDriving systemsActivating Distronic
You can activate Distronic if:

you are driving between 25 mph
(40 km/h) and 110 mph (180 km/h)


the ESP is activated (
page 78)
If Distronic has not been activated after
pressing the cruise control lever you will
see the message
---
in the multifunction
display.
In the following cases you cannot activate
Distronic:


up to two minutes after starting the en-
gine


when you brake


if you have set the parking brake


if the gear selector lever is in
positionP, R, or N


if the ESP is switched offSetting the current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift or depress the cruise control
lever.
Distronic is activated and the current
speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.Setting a higher speed

Briefly tip the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1 (
page 203) to in-
crease 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).
iIf you do not take your foot off of the
accelerator completely, the following
message will appear in the multifunc-
tion display: DISTRONIC OVERRIDE
.
Distronic will not work to maintain the
distance to a slower moving vehicle in
front of you. Your vehicle speed will
then be determined only by the accel-
erator pedal position.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate Distronic. After brief ac-
celeration (e.g. for passing), the cruise
control will resume the last speed set.

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.