2005 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 Climate control

204 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlVentilated storage compartment
Depending on vehicle model and configu-
ration, your vehicle is equipped with a stor-
age compartment under the front armrest
(page 245) which can be ventilated
when the automatic air conditioning is
switched on. If so equipped, the switch is
located inside the storage compartment in
the front. The air temperature is about the
same as that of the center air vents.
The air volume is dependent on the setting
of:


Air distribution control


Air volume control


Air vents in the dashboard
The air temperature is about the same as
that of the dashboard air vents. It cannot
be regulated separately.Switching ventilation on

Open the storage compartment in front
of the armrest, see “Storage compart-
ment in front of armrest” (
page 245).

Push upper portion of switch.
Switching ventilation off

Open the storage compartment in front
of the armrest, see “Storage compart-
ment in front of armrest” (
page 245).

Push lower portion of switch. Rear passenger compartment adjust-
able air vents
Rear center console air vents
1Left center air vent, adjustable
2Right center air vent, adjustable
3Thumbwheel for center air vents with
adjustable booster blower
!Do not obstruct the air vent in the stor-
age compartment.iThe compartment can get very warm
due to its confined space. When storing
heat sensitive objects in the compart-
ment, close the air vent while heating
the passenger compartment.

205 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
To open center air vents and to adjust the
booster blower:
Turn thumbwheel3.Rear side air vents
4Rear side air vent, right and left
5Air volume control for rear side air vent
To open rear side air vents:

Turn thumbwheel5 towards the win-
dow.Rear passenger compartment climate
control*
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.
The automatic climate control system is
adjustable individually for the rear passen-
ger compartment.
The control panel is located in the rear cen-
ter console.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.
iThe booster blower allows air volume
speed to the rear passenger compart-
ment to be increased at four different
levels.
The temperature at the air vents for
rear passenger compartment1
and2 is the same as at the dashboard
center air vents.

206 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlRear automatic climate control panel
iWhen the rear seats are not occupied
(rear seat belts unbuckled) the rear cli-
mate control system adopts the set-
tings of the front climate control
system.
Item
1
Left center air vent, adjustable
2
Display
3
Right center air vent, adjustable
4
Thumbwheel for air distribution
5
Temperature control, right
6
Air volume (automatic, manual)
7
Temperature control, left
8
Rear climate control system on/off
Residual engine heat utilization
Warning!
G
Follow the recommended settings for heat-
ing and cooling as given in the instructions
for the front automatic climate control
(page 192). Otherwise the windows could
fog up, impairing visibility for the driver and
endangering you and others.

207 Controls in detail
Power windows
Power windows
Opening and closing the power windows
The side windows are opened and closed
electrically. The switches for all side win-
dows are on the driver’s door. The switch-
es for the respective windows are on the
front passenger door and the rear doors.
1Left front window
2Right front window
3Right rear window
4Left rear window
5Rear window override switch
(
page 78)
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 door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pressed past the resis-
tance point and released, by pressing the re-
spective switch.
The door windows are equipped with the ex-
press-close and automatic reversal func-
tion. If the window encounters an
obstruction that blocks its path in a circum-
stance 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
button ‹ on the SmartKey, or by press-
ing and holding the lock button (vehicles
with KEYLESS-GO*) on the door handle, the
automatic reversal function will not operate.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. Unsupervised use of vehi-
cle equipment may cause an accident
and/or serious personal injury.iYou can also open or close the win-
dows using the SmartKey, see “Sum-
mer opening feature” (
page 209) and
“Convenience closing feature”
(
page 210).
You can close and reopen the windows
using the air recirculation button,
or the charcoal filter buttone in the
climate control panel (
page 194).

212 Controls in detailPower tilt/sliding sunroof

Switch on ignition (
page 34).
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof

To open, close, raise or lower the
tilt/sliding sunroof, move the switch to
resistance point in the required
direction1to4.

Release the sunroof switch when the
tilt/sliding sunroof has reached the de-
sired position.
Fully opening (Express-open) and clos-
ing (Express-close) the power the
tilt/sliding sunroof

To open, close, raise or lower the
tilt/sliding sunroof, move the switch
past the resistance point in the re-
quired direction1to4 and release.
The tilt/sliding sunroof opens or closes
completely.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
from the starter switch, take it with you, and
lock the vehicle. Do not leave children unat-
tended 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.!To avoid damaging the seals, do not
transport any objects with sharp edges
which can stick out of the tilt/sliding
sunroof.
Do not open the tilt/sliding sunroof if
there is snow or ice on the roof, as this
could result in malfunctions.
The tilt/sliding sunroof can be opened
or closed manually should an electrical
malfunction occur (
page 386).
iYou can also open or close the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof using the SmartKey, see
“Summer opening feature”
(page 209) and “Convenience clos-
ing feature” (
page 210).
You can close and reopen the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof using the air recirculation
button, or the charcoal filter
buttone in the climate control pan-
el (
page 194).
iWith the SmartKey in starter switch po-
sition 0 or removed from the starter
switch, the tilt/sliding sunroof can be
operated

until you open the driver’s or pas-
senger door


for up to approximately five min-
utes.


320 OperationTires and wheelsQuality grades can be found, where appli-
cable, on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
All passenger car tires must conform to
federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1
1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly
from the norm due to variations in driving
habits, service practices and differences in
road characteristics and climate.Traction
The traction grades, from highest to low-
est, are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades rep-
resent the tire’s ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.
Treadwear
Traction
Temperature
200
AA
A
Warning!
G
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.

445 Index
Armrest
Storage compartment in front of 245,
246, 247
Ashtray 251
Aspect ratio 322
At the gas station 283
ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) 292
AUDIO menu 148
Selecting CD track 150
Selecting MP3-CD track 150
Selecting radio station 149
Selecting satellite radio* station (USA
only) 149
Audio system
CD mode 151
Auto-dimming for rear view mirror 186
Automatic central locking
Activating/deactivating (control
system) 168
Automatic climate control 192
Air recirculation mode 199
Defrosting 199
Rear window defroster 201
Setting the temperature 195
Automatic headlamp mode 132Automatic lighting control
Activating 137
Deactivating 137
Automatic locking when driving 112
Automatic shift program
Automatic transmission 179
Automatic transmission 173
Accelerator position 180
Automatic shift program 179
Emergency operation (Limp Home
Mode) 185
Fluid level 292
Gear ranges 176
Gear selector lever position 173, 177
Gear shifting malfunctions 185
Kickdown 180
Kickdown, manual shift program S 55
AMG 184
Manual shift program S 55 AMG 183
Manual shifting 175
One-touch gearshifting 175
Starting the engine 46
Steering wheel gearshift control S 55
AMG 181
Transmission fluid 292
Auxiliary fuse box 412B
BabySmart
TM
Air bag deactivation system 73
Compatible child seats 73, 437
Self-test 74
BabySmart
TM airbag deactivation
system 437
Backrest supports
Lumbar region 123
Shoulder region 123
Backup lamps 390, 395
Bulbs 390
Bar 322
BAS 81, 437
Messages in display 351
Batteries, SmartKey
Check lamp 95
Checking 95
Replacing 387
Batteries, SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Checking 101
Battery discharged
Jump starting 406

449 Index
Cruise control 214, 438
Canceling 215
Driving downhill 215
Driving uphill 215
Fine adjustment 216
Lever 221
Setting current speed 215
Setting to last stored speed (“Resume”
function) 216
Cruise control lever 214
Cup holder
Cleaning 335
Closing 250
In front seat armrest 248
In rear seat armrest 249
Opening 250
Curb weight 322
Customer Assistance Center (CAC) 437
D
Daytime running lamp mode 133
Setting 165
Deactivating
Air conditioner (cooling) 202
Air recirculation mode 200
Alarm 88
Anti-theft alarm system 88Automatic climate control 202
Central locking (control system) 168
Charcoal filter 201
Defrost 199
Distance warning function* 226
Distronic* 224
Engine with the SmartKey 57
ESP 83
Exterior lamps 132
Hazard warning flasher 136
Headlamps 57
Immobilizer 86
Interior illumination delayed
switch-off 167
Limiting opening height of trunk
lid* 169
Manual shift program S 55 AMG 185
Rear window defroster 201
Residual heat 203
Seat heater 125, 126
Seat ventilation* 127
Tow-away alarm 89
Deceleration
With Distronic* 220
Deep water see Standing water 280
Defrosting 199Delayed switch-off
Interior illumination 167
Department of Transportation see DOT
Dialing
A number (telephone) 154
Difficulties
While driving see Problems while
driving 54
Digital clock 25
Digital speedometer 148
Direction of rotation (tires) 299
Discharged battery
Jump starting 406
Disconnecting
Vehicle battery 404
Displays
Digital speedometer 148
Distronic* 219
Messages 289
Service indicator 328
Showing malfunctions 159
Vehicle status messages 347