2004 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 Owner's Manual

176 Controls in detailGood visibilityElectrically folding exterior rear view mirrors
Folding the exterior mirrors in and out
automatically
When the corresponding function in the
control system is activated (
page 162):


The exterior rear view mirrors automat-
ically fold in as soon as the vehicle is
locked from the outside.


The exterior rear view mirrors automat-
ically fold out as soon as the vehicle is
unlocked and the driver’s or front pas-
senger door are subsequently opened.Folding the exterior mirrors in and out
manually
The exterior rear view mirrors can vibrate if
they are not folded out completely.
The buttons are located on the driver’s
door.
1Folds the exterior mirrors out
2Folds the exterior mirrors in

Switch on ignition.
Folding in

Press button2 briefly.
Both mirrors fold in.
Folding out

Press button1 briefly.
Both mirrors fold out.
!Before driving the vehicle through an
automatic car wash, fold the exterior
mirrors in. Otherwise they may get
damaged.
iIf you are driving at more than approxi-
mately 9 mph (15 km/h), you will not
be able to fold the exterior mirrors in.
!If an exterior rear view mirror housing
is forcibly pushed forward (hit from the
rear), reposition it manually by applying
firm pressure until it snaps back into
place.
If an exterior rear view mirror housing
is forcibly pushed rearward (hit from
the front), press button2 to fold mir-
rors in, then press button1 to fold
mirrors out. Do not force mirrors by
hand as this may damage the adjust-
ment mechanism.

177 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Windshield wipers
For more information on the windshield
wipers, see “Windshield wipers”
(page 48).
A rain sensor automatically controls the
windshield wipers depending on how wet
the windshield is.

Switch on ignition.

Set wiper switch to position I
(page 48).
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are automatically controlled by the
rain sensor.Headlamp cleaning system*
(Standard on S 500, S 600, S 55 AMG)
The switch is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp washer switch
Switch on ignition.

Press switch1.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system*”
(
page 281).
iIntermittent wiping is interrupted when
the vehicle is at a standstill and a front
door is opened.
!Do not leave windshield wipers in inter-
mittent setting when vehicle is taken to
an automatic car wash or during wind-
shield cleaning. Wipers will operate in
the presence of water sprayed on the
windshield, and wipers may be dam-
aged as a result.
The switch should not be left in inter-
mittent setting as the wipers will wipe
the windshield once every time the en-
gine is started. Dust that accumulates
on the windshield might scratch the
glass and/or damage the wiper blades
when wiping occurs on a dry wind-
shield.

178 Controls in detailGood visibilitySun visors
The sun visors protect you from sun glare
while driving.
Swing sun visors down when you expe-
rience glare.1Mounting
2Mirror cover
3Mirror lamp
4Document holder

To use mirror, lift up cover2.
Mirror lamp3 comes on.If sunlight enters through a side window:

Disengage sun visor from mounting1.

Pivot sun visor to the side.
Adjusting the vanity mirror:

Slide mirror to the right or left.
Images in the mirror appear in normal
size or larger, depending on the posi-
tion of the mirror.
Document holder
You can use the plastic tab of the docu-
ment holder4 to hold admission tickets,
parking passes, or similar items in place.
Warning!
G
Do not use the vanity mirror while driving.
Keep the mirrors in the sun visors closed
while vehicle is in motion. Reflected glare
can endanger you and others.
iIf you disengage the sun visor from
mounting1, mirror lamp3 will
switch off.

179 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window sunshade*
The switch is located in the center console.
1Rear window sunshade switch
Switch on ignition.

Press switch 1 briefly to raise the sun-
shade.

Press switch 1 briefly to lower the
sunshade.
Always raise the sunshade fully for its sup-
port against the window frame.
Rear door window sunshade*
To raise sunshade pull on the tab and
engage in holder.

To lower sunshade disengage tab and
guide retraction.
Warning!
G
When operating the rear window sunshade,
be sure that there is no danger of anyone be-
ing harmed by the raising or lowering proce-
dure.
The raising or lowering procedure can be im-
mediately reversed by pressing switch1.Warning!
G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey from starter switch, take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, and
lock your vehicle. Do not leave children un-
attended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment can cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
!Always guide the sunshade. Do not let
it snap back abruptly, as the retractor
could be damaged.

180 Controls in detailAutomatic climate control
Automatic climate control

181 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Item
1
Left center air vent, adjustable
2
Left air vent, fixed
3
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for left center air vent
4
Thumbwheel for air temperature
control for center air vents
5
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for right center air vent
6
Right air vent, fixed
7
Right center air vent, adjustable
8
Side defroster vent, fixed
9
Side air vent, adjustable
a
Thumbwheel for air volume control
for side air vents
b
Door air vent
c
Automatic climate control panel
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents in the
footwell can be very hot or very cold (de-
pending on the set temperature). This may
cause burns or frostbite on unprotected skin
in the immediate area of the air vents. Al-
ways keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the footwell
air vents. If necessary change the air flow
using the air distribution controls to direct
the air away from the footwell air vents
(page 184).
iFor draft-free ventilation, move the slid-
ers for the center air vents 1, 7, 9
to the middle position.

182 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAutomatic climate control panel
The automatic climate control is operation-
al whenever the engine is running. You can
operate the climate control system in ei-
ther the automatic or manual mode. The
system cools or heats the interior depend-
ing on the selected interior temperature
and the current outside temperature.
Item
1
Windshield defroster
2
Rear window defroster
3
Display
4
Residual engine heat utilization
(REST)
5
Automatic climate control on/off
6
Air distribution, right
7
AC cooling on/off (±)
8
Right side temperature control
9
Air volume (automatic, manual)
a
Left side temperature control
b
Air recirculation
c
Air distribution, left
d
Activated charcoal filter
Warning!
G
When operating the automatic climate con-
trol, the air that enters the passenger com-
partment through the air vents in the
footwell can be very hot or very cold (de-
pending on the set temperature). This may
cause burns or frostbite on unprotected skin
in the immediate area of the air vents. Al-
ways keep sufficient distance between un-
protected parts of the body and the footwell
air vents. If necessary change the air flow
using the air distribution controls to direct
the air away from the footwell air vents
(page 184).

183 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
The air conditioning will not engage (no
cooling) if the ± mode is selected
(page 190).
Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls aand8
(page 182) to separately adjust the air
temperature on each side of the passenger
compartment. You should raise or lower
the temperature setting in small incre-
ments, preferably starting at 72°F (22°C).
Increasing / decreasing

Press button a or 8 repeatedly until
the display shows the desired tempera-
ture.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling given on the following pag-
es. Otherwise the windows could fog up,
impairing visibility and endangering you and
others.
iThe current climate control settings
(ON/OFF, temperature, air volume, ac-
tivated charcoal filter, etc.) are stored
for each SmartKey before it is removed
from the starter switch or when the ve-
hicle is locked using the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* (
page 102).
If the vehicle interior is hot, ventilate
the interior before driving off.
Keep the air intake grille in front of the
windshield free of snow, leaves, sticks,
and any other debris.
Do not obstruct air volume by placing
objects on the air volume-through ex-
haust slots below the rear window.
iWhen operating the climate control
system in automatic mode, you will
only rarely need to adjust the tempera-
ture, air volume and air distribution.