2005 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 ECU

280 OperationDriving instructionsStanding water
Passenger compartmentDriving abroad
Abroad, there is an extensive
Mercedes-Benz service network at your
disposal. If you plan to drive into areas
which are not listed in the index of your
Mercedes-Benz Center directory, you
should request pertinent information from
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.Control and operation of radio trans-
mitters
COMAND*, radio, and telephone*
!Do not drive through flooded areas or
water of unknown depth. Before driving
through water, determine its depth.
Never accelerate before driving into
water. The bow wave could force water
into the engine and auxiliary equip-
ment, thus damaging them.
If you must drive through standing wa-
ter, drive slowly to prevent water from
entering the passenger compartment
or the engine compartment. Water in
these areas could cause damage to
electrical components or wiring of the
engine or transmission, or could result
in water being ingested by the engine
through the air intake causing severe
internal engine damage. Any such dam-
age is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Always fasten items being carried as secure-
ly as possible.
In an accident, during hard braking or sud-
den maneuvers, loose items will be thrown
around inside the vehicle, and cause injury
to vehicle occupants unless the items are
securely fastened in the vehicle.
The trunk is the preferred place to carry ob-
jects.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle safely.
Only operate the COMAND (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System), radio, or tele-
phone
1 if road, weather and traffic
conditions permit.
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 14 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements.

381 Practical hints
Where will I find ...?
Spare wheel
Removing the spare wheel
Take out the vehicle tool kit tray2.

Loosen the luggage bowl3. To do so,
turn the luggage bowl counterclock-
wise.

Remove the spare wheel4.
Storing the spare wheel

Place spare wheel4in wheel well.

Secure the spare wheel. To do so, turn
the luggage bowl3 clockwise to its
stop.

Place vehicle tool kit tray2 in luggage
bowl.
Spare wheel S 430, S 500 and S 600
(except Sport Package*)
The spare wheel rim is mounted with a full
sized tire of the same type as on the vehi-
cle, and it is fully functional.However, that spare wheel rim is weight
optimized and has a limited service life of
12 000 miles (20 000 km) use before a
standard wheel rim must replace it.
In case of flat tire, you may temporarily use
the spare wheel.
Do not operate vehicle with more than one
spare wheel mounted.
For more information, see “Rims and tires”
(
page 422).
Warning!
G
The jack is designed exclusively for jacking
up the vehicle at the jack take-up brackets
built into both sides of the vehicle. To help
avoid personal injury, use the jack only to lift
the vehicle during a wheel change. Never
get beneath the vehicle while it is supported
by the jack. Keep hands and feet away from
the area under the lifted vehicle. Always
firmly set parking brake and block wheels
before raising vehicle with jack.
Do not disengage parking brake while the
vehicle is raised. Be certain that the jack is
always vertical (plumb line) when in use, es-
pecially on hills. Always try to use the jack
on level surface. Make sure the jack arm is
fully seated in the jack take-up bracket. Al-
ways lower the vehicle onto sufficient ca-
pacity jackstands before working under the
vehicle.
Warning!
G
Never operate the vehicle with more than
one spare wheel mounted.
The spare wheel rim is for temporary use
only. Use for over a total of 12 000 miles
(20 000 km) (aggregate of all uses) may
cause wheel rim failure leading to an acci-
dent and possible injuries.
The spare wheel should only be used tempo-
rarily and replaced with a regular road wheel
as quickly as possible.

395 Practical hints
Replacing bulbs
Tail lamp unit
1Black socket:
Backup lamp
2White socket:
Turn signal lamp
3Red socket:
Tail, standing and parking lamp
4Red socket:
Driver’s side: tail, parking and rear fog
lamp
Passenger’s side: tail and parking lamp

Turn the catch, and move the trim to
the side.

Turn bulb socket counterclockwise and
pull out.

Gently twist bulb counterclockwise and
pull out of bulb holder.

Insert new bulb into the holder and turn
it clockwise.

Reinstall bulb socket.
The bulb socket should audibly click.

Replace trim and secure with lock. License plate lamp
1Screws

Loosen both screws1.

Remove the license plate lamp.

Replace the bulb.

Reinstall the license plate lamp.

Retighten screws1.

404 Practical hintsBattery
Pull on the outer, right-hand side of
cover1 and remove it in the direction
of the arrow.
2Positive terminal
3Negative terminal
Disconnecting the battery
Turn off all electrical consumers.

Open the trunk lid (
page 103).

Remove the battery cover1.

Use a 10 mm open-end wrench to dis-
connect the battery negative lead3.

Remove cover from the positive
terminal2.

Disconnect the battery positive
lead2.
Removing the battery
Remove the screw securing the bat-
tery.

Remove the battery support and
bracket.

Take out the battery.
Charging and reinstalling the battery
Charge battery in accordance with the
instructions of the battery charger
manufacturer.

Reinstall the charged battery. Follow
the previously described steps in re-
verse order.Warning!
G
Never charge a battery while still installed in
the vehicle. Gases may escape during charg-
ing and cause explosions that may result in
paint damage, corrosion or personal injury.

405 Practical hints
Battery
Reconnecting the battery
Turn off all electrical consumers.

Connect the positive lead and fasten its
cover2.

Connect negative lead3.Batteries contain materials that can harm
the environment if disposed of improperly.
Large 12-volt storage batteries contain
lead. Recycling of batteries is the preferred
method of disposal. Many states require
sellers of batteries to accept old batteries
for recycling.!Never invert the terminal connections.!The battery, its filler caps and the vent
tube must always be securely installed
when the vehicle is in operation.
iThe following procedures must be car-
ried out following any interruption of
battery power (e.g. due to reconnect-
ing):

Set the clock (see COMAND opera-
tor’s manual).


Synchronize the ESP (
page 352).


Synchronize side windows
(page 209).


Synchronize tilt/sliding sunroof
(page 213).

456 IndexLight alloy wheels
Cleaning 335
Light sensor 366
Lighter see Cigarette lighter 252
Lighting 131
Automatic headlamp mode 132
Combination switch 135
Courtesy lighting 139
Daytime running lamp mode 133
Door entry lamps 139
Exterior lamp switch 131
Front fog lamps 134
High beam flasher 135
High beams 135
Instrument cluster illumination 140
Interior 137
Locator lighting 133
Low beam 131
Manual headlamp mode 132
Night security illumination 133Parking lamps 131
Rear fog lamp 134
Settings (control system) 164
Trunk 138, 139
Limiting opening height of trunk lid* 105
Limiting the gear range 176
Limp Home Mode 185
Line of fall 440
Loading 240
Cargo tie-down hooks 241
Instructions 241
Roof rack 240
Loading terminology 322
Loading the vehicle 299
Locator lighting 133
Setting 166
Lock button 440
Door handle (KEYLESS-GO*) 58
SmartKey 92
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* 96Locking 55, 58, 92
Fuel filler flap 283
Global (SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*) 99
Global, SmartKey 94
Glove box 244
Vehicle in an emergency 384
Vehicle with KEYLESS-GO* 101
with the KEYLESS-GO* 58
with the SmartKey 58
Loss of SmartKey 96
Loss of Smartkey with
KEYLESS-GO* 102
Low beam headlamps
Messages in display 366, 367
Replacing bulbs 390
Lowering
Vehicle 402
Lumbar support adjustment 122

458 IndexMP3-CD operation
Selecting tracks 150
Mph or km/h in speedometer 163
Multicontour backrest* 122
Multifunction display 143, 440
Selecting language 164
Standard display 147
Multifunction display messages
ABC 349, 354
ABS 350
BAS 351
Brake fluid 357
Brake pads 357
Check engine 340, 341
Coolant 359
Coolant level 358
Distronic* 351
Doors 361
Engine 340, 341
Engine oil level 362
Entry position 364Hood 364
Lamps 367
Parking brake 356
Selector lever 353
SmartKey 364
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* 364
TeleAid 370
Telephone* 370
Tires 372–378
Trunk 371
Washer fluid 371
Multifunction steering wheel 26, 144,
440
Buttons 144
N
Navigation system
Operating 155
See separate COMAND* operating in-
structions
Night security illumination 133
Normal occupant weight 323
Nubuck leather upholstery
Cleaning 336O
Occupant distribution 323
Occupant safety 60
Air bags 61
Children and air bags 62
Children in the vehicle 71
Fastening the seat belt 43
Infant and child restraint systems 71
LATCH child seat anchors 76
Seat belts 43, 64
Oil
Adding 291
Consumption 287
Dipstick 287
Filler neck 291
Viscosity 439
Oil level
Checking 285
Oil level via control system
Checking 288

463 Index
Seating capacity 301
Seats 114
Adjusting 37
Adjusting lumbar support 123
Adjusting shoulder support 123
Easy entry/exit feature 114
Heater 125
Massage function 123
Multicontour backrest* 122
Rear power seat bench* 117
Rear seats 117
Securing cargo
Cargo tie-down hooks 241
Selector lever
Lock 46, 173
Message in display 353
Self-test
BabySmart
TM air bag deactivation
system 74
Tele Aid 256
Service
Major service (Service B) 328
Minor service (Service A) 328
When due 328
Service (maintenance) 328
Service and warranty information 10Service indicator 328
Service life (tires) 297
Service System see FSS 328
Setting
Convenience functions 169
Cruise control 215
Daytime running lamp mode 165
Digital clock 25
Distronic* time interval 224
Following distance in Distronic* 224
Higher speed in cruise control 216
Higher speed in Distronic* 222
Individual vehicle settings 160
Interior illumination delayed
switch-off 167
Lamps and lighting (control
system) 164
Language, multifunction display 164
Locator lighting 166
Lower speed in cruise control 216
Lower speed in Distronic* 223
Miles/kilometers in
speedometer 163Parking position for exterior rear view
mirrors 171
Slower speed in cruise control 216
Slower speed in Distronic* 223
SmartKey dependent memory 169
Speed in Distronic* 222
Speedometer display mode 163
Suspension tuning 231
Temperature (interior) 195
Temperature indicator 163
Tire inflation pressure units 164
To last stored speed (“Resume” func-
tion) in cruise control 216
To last stored speed in Distronic* (“Re-
sume” function) 223
Units
Speedometer 163
Temperature 163
Tire inflation pressure 164
Vehicle level control 230, 232
Setting current speed 215
Setting front passenger seat position from
rear* 118