2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 Cluster

160 Controls in detailControl systemSettings menu
In the
SETTINGS
menu there are two func-
tions:


The function
TO RESET PRESS R BUTTON
FOR 3 SEC., with which you can reset
all settings to the original factory set-
tings.


A collection of submenus with which
you can make individual settings for
your vehicle.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the
SETTINGS
menu appears in
the multifunction display.The following settings and submenus are
available:Resetting all settings
You can reset all the functions of all sub-
menus to the factory settings.

Press the reset buttonJ(
page 140)
for approximately three seconds.
In the multifunction display you will see
the request to press the reset
buttonJagain to confirm.

Press the reset buttonJagain.
The functions of all the submenus will
reset to factory settings.
Function
Page
Resetting all settings
160
Submenus in the Settings menu
161
Resetting the functions of a sub-
menu
161
Instrument cluster submenu
163
Lighting submenu
164
Vehicle submenu
168
Convenience submenu
169
iThe settings you have changed will not
be reset unless you confirm the action
by pressing the reset buttonJa sec-
ond time.
Due to safety reasons, resetting all of
the settings while driving will not reset
all of the values in the
LIGHTING
or the
VEHICLE
menu.

162 Controls in detailControl systemThe table below shows what settings can
be changed within the various menus. De-
tailed instructions on making individual
settings can be found on the following pag-
es.INSTRUMENT CLUSTER
LIGHTING
VEHICLE
CONVENIENCE
Select temperature display
mode
Set daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)
Set automatic locking
Set key-dependency
Select multifunction display
mode
Set locator lighting
Limiting opening height of trunk
lid*
Activate easy-entry/exit feature
Select language
Exterior lamps delayed shut-off
Set parking position for exterior
rear view mirror
Select tire inflation pressure
unit
Interior lighting delayed shut-off
Set fold-in function for exterior
rear view mirrorsAdjusting the drive-dynamic
seat

163 Controls in detail
Control system
Instrument cluster submenu
Access the
INST. CLUS.
submenu via the
SETTINGS
menu. Use the
INST. CLUS.
submenu to change the instrument cluster
display settings. The following functions
are available:Selecting temperature display mode

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the
INST.
CLUS.
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the multi-
function display:
TEMP. INDICATOR
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Pressæ orç to set the temper-
ature unit to degrees Celsius (
°C) or de-
grees Fahrenheit (
°F).Selecting multifunction display mode

Move the selection marker with
theæ orç button to the
INST.
CLUS.
submenu.

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until you see this message in the multi-
function display:
DISPLAY VALUES IN
.
The selection marker is on the current
setting.

Press æ or ç to set speedome-
ter unit to
MILES
or KM
.
Function
Page
Select temperature display
mode
163
Select multifunction display
mode
163
Select language
164
Select tire inflation pressure unit
164

220 Controls in detailDriving systemsDistronic displays in the speedometer
dialSet speedIf Distronic is activated, one or two seg-
ments come on around the set speed.
SegmentsIf Distronic detects a vehicle directly
ahead, the segments from the speed of the
vehicle ahead to the set speed come on.
If Distronic calculates that there is a dan-
ger of collision (
page 226):


The red Distronic warning lampl in
the instrument cluster comes on.


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. See the follow-
ing warning note.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the red Distronic warning
lampl 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.

221 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Distronic menu in the control system
In the Distronic menu you see the current
settings for Distronic. What appears in the
multifunction display depends on whether
Distronic and the distance warning func-
tion are turned on or off.
Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see one of the following dis-
plays.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the
Distronic warning lampl in the instru-
ment cluster is illuminated if the Distronic
system calculates that the distance to the
vehicle ahead and your vehicle’s current
speed indicate that Distronic will not be ca-
pable of slowing the vehicle sufficiently to
maintain the preset following distance,
which creates a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake your vehicle to increase
the distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle in front of you. The warning sound is
intended as a final caution that you have not
interceded with your own braking inputs to
avoid a potentially dangerous situation. Do
not wait for the operation of the warning sig-
nal to intercede with your own braking, as
that will result in potentially dangerous
emergency braking which will not always re-
sult in an impact being avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
Distronic brakes your vehicle with a maxi-
mum of 6.5 ft/s
2 (2 m/s
2). This corre-
sponds to about 20% of the maximum
deceleration ability of your vehicle.
Distronic brakes the vehicle in an effort to
restore the preset distance or to maintain
the speed. The brake pedal is automatically
applied as this happens which results in the
brake pedal moving.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the Distronic system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.

226 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe distance warning function on/off but-
ton and thumbwheel for setting distance
are located on the lower part of the front
center console.
1Distance warning function on/off but-
ton
2Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting causes Dis-
tronic to maintain a greater following dis-
tance to the vehicle ahead.
Turn thumbwheel2 towards¯.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting causes
Distronic to maintain a shorter following
distance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel2 towards®.
Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you when recog-
nizing a slower vehicle moving in the
vehicle’s path and the danger of a collision
exists:


The distance warning lampl in the
instrument cluster comes on.


An intermittent warning sounds.
If these warnings are issued, you must
brake manually to maintain a safe distance
and avoid a collision with the vehicle
ahead.
When pressing the brake pedal, the warn-
ing sound stops. The warning sound also
stops when the distance to the vehicle ahead is sufficient again without applying
the brake pedal. In this case the distance
warning lampl also extinguishes.
Warning!
G
If the Distronic warning lampl in the in-
strument cluster comes on while driving
and/or an intermittent warning sounds, im-
mediate attention on the part of the driver is
required. As required by the traffic situation,
apply the brakes and navigate around a pos-
sible obstacle. However, do not drive by re-
lying on the distance warning function, as
this will result in an emergency braking ap-
plication. Especially depending on road sur-
face conditions and driver reaction, this will
not always enable you to avoid a collision.iComplex driving situations are not al-
ways fully recognized by Distronic. This
could result in wrong or missing dis-
tance warnings.

261 Controls in detail
Useful features
Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. SmartKey inside vehicle),
and the reserve SmartKey is not handy:
Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.

Then return to your vehicle and press
the trunk lid button for a minimum of
20 seconds until the SOS button is
flashing.
The message:
CALL CONNECTED
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.
The Response Center will then unlock your
vehicle with the remote door unlocking
feature.
iWhen a Tele Aid call has been initiated,
the audio system or the COMAND*
system audio is muted and the
selected mode (radio or CD) pauses.
The optional cellular phone (if installed)
switches off. If you must use this
phone, the vehicle must be parked.
Disconnect the coiled cord and place
the call. The COMAND* navigation
system (if engaged) will continue to
run. The display in the instrument
cluster is available for use, and spoken
commands are only available by press-
ing the RPT button on the COMAND*
unit. A pop-up window will appear in
the COMAND* display to indicate that
a Tele Aid call is in progress.
iThe remote door unlock feature is avail-
able if the relevant cellular phone net-
work is available.
The SOS button will flash and the mes-
sage:
CALL CONNECTED
will appear in
the multifunction display to indicate re-
ceipt of the door unlock command.
Once the vehicle is unlocked, a Re-
sponse Center specialist will attempt
to establish voice contact with the ve-
hicle occupants.
If the trunk lid button was pressed for
more than 20 seconds before door un-
lock authorization was received by the
Response Center, you must wait
15 minutes before pressing the trunk
lid button again.

275 Operation
Driving instructions
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
park, so that the air stream can cool down
the brakes faster.High-performance brake system
(S 65 AMG only)
The high-performance brake system is de-
signed to operate under the extremely high
operating demands required to accommo-
date the performance capabilities of the
vehicle. The brakes may produce a squeak-
ing-type noise depending on the


vehicle speed


brake force applied


ambient conditions, e.g. temperature
and humidity
As with any brake system, the wear of indi-
vidual brake system components such as
brake pads or disks strongly depends on
your driving style and the conditions under
which you operate the vehicle. Thus, a driv-
ing style calling for high demand braking
will cause your vehicle’s brakes to wear
more quickly.
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.!When driving down long and steep
grades, relieve the load on the brakes
by shifting into a lower gear to use the
engine’s braking power. This helps pre-
vent overheating of the brakes and re-
duces brake pad wear.
Warning!
G
New vehicle brake pads and discs, and
replacement brake pads and discs may take
several hundred miles of driving until they
provide optimum braking efficiency. Until
that time, you may need to use increased
brake pedal pressure while braking. Please
be aware of this and adjust your driving and
braking accordingly during this break-in
period.
Excessive high demand braking will cause
correspondingly high brake wear. Please be
attentive to the brake warning lamp in the
instrument cluster and brake condition mes-
sages in the multifunction display. Especial-
ly for high performance driving, it is
important to maintain and have the brake
system checked regularly.