2005 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 Operating

431 Technical data
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.
Engine oils
Engine oils are specifically tested for their
suitability in our engines and durability for
our service intervals. Therefore, only use
approved engine oils and oil filters
required for vehicles with Maintenance
System (U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada
vehicles). For a listing of approved engine
oils and oil filters, refer to the Factory
Approved Service Products pamphlet, or
contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
Using engine oils and oil filters of
specification other than those expressly
required for the Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada vehicles), or
changing of oil and oil filter at change
intervals longer than those called for by
the Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles) or
FSS (Canada Vehicles) will result in engine
damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Please follow Maintenance System
(U.S. vehicles) or FSS (Canada vehicles)
recommendations for scheduled oil
changes. Failure to do so will result in
engine damage not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Engine oil additives
Do not blend oil additives with engine oil.
They may damage the engine.Damage or
malfunctions resulting from blending oil
additives are not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.Air conditioning refrigerant
R-134a (HFC) refrigerant and special PAG
lubricating oil is used in the air condition-
ing system.Never use R-12 (CFC) or miner-
al-based lubricating oil. Otherwise damage
to the system will occur.
Brake fluid
During vehicle operation, the boiling point
of the brake fluid is continuously reduced
through the absorption of moisture from
the atmosphere. Under extremely strenu-
ous operating conditions, this moisture
content can lead to the formation of bub-
bles in the system, thus reducing the sys-
tem’s efficiency.Therefore, the brake fluid
must be replaced every two years, prefera-
bly in the spring.Only brake fluid approved
by Mercedes-Benz is recommended. Your
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will pro-
vide you with additional information.

432 Technical dataFuels, coolants, lubricants, etc.Premium unleaded gasoline
Fuel requirements
Use only premium unleaded fuel:

The octane number (posted at the
pu mp ) m ust b e 91 m i n. It is an a ve ra ge
of both the Research (R) octane num-
ber and the Motor (M) octane number:
(R+M)/2). This is also known as the
ANTI-KNOCK INDEX.
Unleaded gasoline containing oxygenates
such as Ethanol, IPA, IBA and TBA can be
used provided the ratio of any one of these
oxygenates to gasoline does not exceed
10%; MTBE must not exceed 15%.
The ratio of Methanol to gasoline must not
exceed 3% plus additional co-solvents.
Using mixtures of Ethanol and Methanol is
not allowed. Gasohol, which contains
10% Ethanol and 90% unleaded gasoline,
can be used.
These blends must also meet all other fuel
requirements, such as resistance to spark
knock, boiling range, vapor pressure, etc.
Gasoline additives
A major concern among engine manufac-
turers is carbon build-up caused by gaso-
line. Mercedes-Benz recommends only the
use of quality gasoline containing additives
that prevent the build-up of carbon depos-
its.
After an extended period of using fuels
without such additives, carbon deposits
can build up especially on the intake valves
and in the combustion area, leading to en-
gine performance problems such as:

Warm-up hesitation


Unstable idle


Knocking/pinging


Misfire


Power loss
!To maintain the engine’s durability and
performance, premium unleaded gaso-
line must be used. If premium unleaded
gasoline is not available and low octane
fuel is used, follow these precautions:

Have the fuel tank only partially
filled with unleaded regular and fill
up with premium unleaded as soon
as possible.


Avoid full throttle driving and abrupt
acceleration.


Do not exceed an engine speed of
3000 rpm if the vehicle is loaded
with a light load such as two
persons and no luggage.


Do not exceed 2/3 of maximum
accelerator pedal position if the ve-
hicle is fully loaded or operating in
mountainous terrain.

438 Technical termsCAN system
(C
ontroller A
rea N
etwork)
Data bus network serving to control ve-
hicle functions such as door locking or
windshield wiping.
Cockpit
All instruments, switches, buttons and
indicator/warning lamps in the passen-
ger compartment needed for vehicle
operation and monitoring.
COMAND
(C
ockpit M
anagement and D
ata Sys-
tem)
Information and operating center for
vehicle sound and communications
systems, including the radio and navi-
gation system, as well as other optional
equipment (CD changer, telephone,
etc.).Control system
The control system is used to call up
vehicle information and to change
component settings. Information and
messages appear in the multifunction
display. The driver uses the buttons on
the multifunction steering wheel to
navigate through the system and to ad-
just settings.
Cruise control
Driving convenience system that auto-
matically maintains the vehicle speed
set by the driver.Distronic*
A driving convenience cruise control
system which helps the driver maintain
a pre-selected speed:


If there is no vehicle directly ahead,
the system operates in the same
way as conventional ->cruise con-
trol.


If a slower moving vehicle is ahead,
Distronic will reduce your vehicle
speed to the extent permitted by re-
duced throttle and up to 20% brak-
ing power to maintain the preset
minimum following distance.

439 Technical terms
Engine number
The number set by the manufacturer
and stamped on the cylinder block to
uniquely identify each engine pro-
duced.
Engine oil viscosity
Measurement for the inner friction (vis-
cosity) of the oil at different tempera-
tures. The higher the temperature an
oil can tolerate without becoming thin,
or the lower the temperature it can tol-
erate without becoming viscous, the
better the viscosity.
ESP
(E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)
Improves vehicle handling and direc-
tional stability.ETD
(E
mergency T
ensioning D
evice)
Device which deploys in certain frontal
and rear collisions exceeding the sys-
tem's threshold to tighten the seat
belts.
->SRS
FSS (Canada vehicles)
(F
lexible S
ervice S
ystem)
Maintenance service indicator in the
multifunction display that informs the
driver when the next vehicle mainte-
nance service is due. FSS evaluates
engine temperature, oil level, vehicle
speed, engine speed, distance driven
and the time elapsed since your last
maintenance service, and calls for the
next maintenance service accordingly.
Gear range
Number of gears which are available to
the automatic transmission for shifting.
The automatic gear shifting process
can be adapted to specific operating
conditions using the selector lever.GPS
(G
lobal P
ositioning S
ystem)
Satellite-based system for relaying
geographic location information to and
from vehicles equipped with special re-
ceivers. Employs DVD digital maps for
navigation.
Instrument cluster
The displays and indicator/warning
lamps in the driver’s field of vision, in-
cluding the tachometer, speedometer,
engine temperature and fuel gauge.
KEYLESS-GO*
System for entering and operating the
vehicle without the use of a SmartKey.
Kickdown
Depressing the accelerator past the
point of resistance shifts the transmis-
sion down to the lowest possible gear.
This very quickly accelerates the vehi-
cle and should not be used for normal
acceleration needs.

448 IndexClock 25
Closing 58
Cup holder 250
Glove box 244
Hood 287
Power tilt/sliding sunroof 211
Power windows 207, 208
Side windows 208
Trunk 105
Closing from the inside automatically*
Trunk 105
Closing in an emergency
Power tilt/sliding sunroof 386
Cockpit 22, 438
Cockpit management and data system
(COMAND) 438
Cold tire inflation pressure 322
COMAND 438
COMAND* see separate operating instruc-
tions
Combination switch 135
High beam 50
High beam flasher 135
Turn signals 51
Windshield wipers 52Control and operation of radio
transmitters 280
Control system 143, 438
AUDIO menu 148
Checking oil level 288
Convenience submenu 169
Display digital speedometer 148
Distronic* menu 156
Functions 145, 147
Instrument cluster submenu 163
Lighting submenu 164
Menus 146, 147
Multifunction display 143
Multifunction steering wheel 144
NAVI menu 155
Settings menu 160
Standard display menu 148
Submenus 145, 147
TEL* menu 153
Trip computer menu 157
Vehicle status message memory
menu 159
Vehicle submenu 168Convenience submenu 169
Activating easy-entry/exit
feature 170
Adjusting drive-dynamic seat* 172
Setting Key-dependency 169
Setting parking position for exterior
rear view mirror 171
Coolant 292
Adding 293
Checking level 292
Messages in display 358, 359
Temperature 282
Temperature gauge 141
Warning lamp 359
Coolant level
Checking 292
Coolant temperature gauge 25
Courtesy lighting 139

454 IndexHeight adjustments
Vehicle level 230, 232
High beam 50
Replacing bulbs 390
High beam flasher 135
High beam headlamps
Messages in display 366
Switching on 135
High mounted brake lamp 390
Hood 286
Closing 287
Message in display 364
Opening 286
Hydroplaning 277
I
Identification labels 418
Emission control information
label 418
Vacuum line routing diagram
label 418
Ignition 34, 36
Switching on 34, 46, 47Immobilizer 86
Activating 86
Deactivating 86
Indicator lamps see Lamps, indicator and
warning
Individual seats* 117
Head restraint height 118
Infant and child restraint systems 71
Installing 75
LATCH child seat anchors 76
Information
About service and warranty 10
Button for Tele Aid* 260
Infrared reflecting windshield 270
Inside rear view mirror
Auto-dimming 186
Installing
Infant and child restraint systems 75
Towing eye bolt 410
Wiper blades 397Instrument cluster 24, 140, 439
Cleaning 335
Coolant temperature gauge 141
Illumination 140
Multifunction display 143
Outside temperature indicator 142
Selecting language 164
Integrated remote control
Canadian programming 268
Erasing memory 269
Hand-held transmitter 266
Operating 269
Rolling code programming 267
Interior illumination
Delayed switch-off 167
Interior lighting 137
Activating automatic control 137
Deactivating automatic control 137
Manual operation 137
Reading lamps in the front 138
Reading lamps in the rear 138
Interior rear view mirror
Adjusting 41

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

459 Index
One-touch gearshifting 175
Canceling gear range limit 175
Downshifting 175
Upshifting 175
Opening
Ashtray 251
Cup holder 250
Doors from the inside 102
Fuel filler flap 283
Fuel filler flap manually 385
Glove box 244
Hood 286
Power tilt/sliding sunroof 211
Power windows 207
Side windows 208
Storage compartment in the center
console 245
Storage compartments in the
armrest 246
Storage compartments in the center
console 246, 247
Trunk 103
Trunk lid from the inside 104
Trunk with SmartKey 95Opening in an emergency
Power tilt/sliding sunroof 386
Operating
COMAND* see separate operating in-
structions
Garage door opener 269
Integrated remote control 269
Navigation system 155
Radio 149
Radio transmitters 280
Telephone* 153
Vehicle outside the USA and
Canada 13
Operating safety 16
Operator’s Manual 10
Ornamental moldings 332
Outside temperature indicator 142
Overdue maintenance service 329
Overhead control panel 29
Garage door opener 29
Reading lamp 29
Rear view mirror 29
Tele Aid button 29Override switch see Blocking of rear win-
dow operation 78
Overspeed range 440
P
Paintwork 331
Panic alarm 79
Panic button on SmartKey 79
Parcel net in front passenger
footwell 250
Parcel net in trunk 250
Parking 55, 275
Parking and standing lamps
Replacing bulbs 390
Parking assist
Parktronic system* 235
Parking brake 48, 56
Engaging 56
Message in display 356
Releasing 48
Warning sound 49
Parking lamps
Replacing bulbs 390, 394
Switching on 131