2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 Setting

197 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting air volume
Use air volume control9 (
page 193) for
both automatic and manual air volume ad-
justment.
Adjusting automatically

PressA on air volume switch9
(page 193).
The display shows
AUTO
. The air volume
is adjusted automatically.
Adjusting manually
Reducing air volume

Press switch9 down until the desired
air volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.
Increasing air volume

Press switch9 up until the desired air
volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
If the left and right air distribution controls
as well as the air volume control are set
toU and there is a high need for cool-
ing, the display
AUTO MAXCOOL
appears.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof are closed).
Defrosting
Activating
Press buttonP (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.

Switch off air recirculation, if selected.

Press button, (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.

Close center air vents.

Adjust side air vents upwards.
Deactivating

Press buttonP (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. Defrosting is turned off.
iThese settings should only be selected
for a short time.

198 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAir recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside. This setting cuts off the
intake of outside air and recirculates the
air in the passenger compartment.
Activating
Press button, (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Warning!
G
When the outside temperature is below
41°F (5°C), only switch to air recirculation
mode for short periods to prevent window
fogging.
iPress and hold button, for approx-
imately two seconds. The side windows
and tilt/sliding sunroof will close. You
can release button, once the clos-
ing procedure has begun. The windows
and tilt/sliding sunroof continue clos-
ing until they are fully closed.
Warning!
G
Never operate the side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof if there is the possibility
of anyone being harmed by the closing pro-
cedure.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the side win-
dows can be immediately halted by pressing
the respective window switch. The closing of
the tilt/sliding sunroof can be immediately
halted by moving the tilt/sliding sunroof
switch in the overhead control panel in any
direction.
The closing of the side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof can be reversed by again
pressing and holding button,.

203 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Deactivating
Press buttonT (
page 193).
The indicator lamp on buttonT
goes out.
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after approximately 30 minutes
(15 minutes when residual heat and
ventilation in the rear* are also
switched on)


if the battery voltage drops
Ventilated storage compartment
Depending on vehicle model and configu-
ration, your vehicle is equipped with a stor-
age compartment under the front armrest
(page 244) 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 244).

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 244).

Push lower portion of switch.
iHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting 1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.
!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
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.
Nearly all dust particles, pollutants and
odors are filtered out before outside air en-
ters the passenger compartment through
the air distribution system.The control panel is located in the rear cen-
ter console.
Rear 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
(REST)
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.

206 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating and reactivating the cli-
mate control system
Deactivating
It is possible to completely deactivate the
automatic climate control system. 
Press button M (
page 205).
The display shows
0.
Reactivating

Press button M (
page 205).Setting the temperature
Use temperature controls 5and7
(
page 205) 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 5 or 7 repeatedly until
the display shows the desired tempera-
ture.
The automatic climate control system
will correspondingly adjust the interior
air temperature.Adjusting air distribution
Use thumbwheel4 (
page 205) to sepa-
rately adjust the air distribution in the rear
passenger compartment. The following
symbols are found on the controls:

Turn thumbwheel4 to the desired
symbol.
The air will be directed to the vents cor-
responding to this symbol.
iWhen the air conditioning is switched
off, the outside air supply and circula-
tion are also switched off. Only choose
this setting for a short time. Otherwise
the windows could fog up.
Symbol
Function
d
Directs air to the center air
vents
c
Directs air to the footwell
air vents

207 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control
Adjusting air volume
Adjusting automatically
PressA on air volume switch6
(page 205).
The display shows
AUTO
The air volume
is adjusted automatically.
Reducing air volume

Press switch6 down until the desired
air volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.
Increasing air volume

Press switch6 up until the desired air
volume is reached.
The display shows the current level.Residual heat and ventilation
With the engine switched off, it is possible
to continue to heat or ventilate the interior.
This feature makes use of the residual heat
produced by the engine.
Activating

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position1 or0, or remove it from
the starter switch.

Press buttonT (
page 205).Deactivating

Press buttonT (
page 205).
The residual heat is automatically turned
off:


when the ignition is switched on


after approximately 30 minutes
(15 minutes when residual heat and
ventilation in the front are also
switched on)


if the battery voltage dropsiHow long the system will provide heat-
ing depends on the coolant tempera-
ture and the temperature set by the
operator. The blower will run at speed
setting 1 regardless of the air distribu-
tion control setting.

216 Controls in detailDriving systems1Sets current or higher speed
2Sets current or lower speed
3Cancels cruise control
4Resumes at last set speed
Setting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift the cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow1 or depress in the
direction of arrow2.
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle maximum speed are illuminated.
Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.or

Briefly push the cruise control lever in
the direction of arrow3.
Cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
iOn uphill or downhill grades, cruise
control may not be able to maintain the
set speed. Once the grade eases, the
set speed will be resumed.
!Moving the gear selector lever to
positionN while driving also cancels
cruise control. However, the gear se-
lector lever should not be moved to
positionN while driving, except to
coast when the vehicle is in danger of
skidding (e.g. on icy roads).iThe last stored speed is canceled when
you turn off the engine.

217 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
Lift cruise control lever in the direction
of arrow1 and hold it up until the de-
sired speed is reached.

Release cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
Setting a lower speed

Depress cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow2 and hold it down
until the desired speed is reached.

Release cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.Fine adjustment in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments
Faster

Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow1.
Slower

Briefly tip cruise control lever in the di-
rection of arrow2.Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)

Briefly push cruise control lever in the
direction of arrow4.
The cruise control resumes the last set
speed.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately five sec-
onds, and the corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed to the
vehicle maximum speed are illuminated.
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does
not deactivate cruise control. After
brief acceleration (e.g. for passing),
cruise control will resume the last
speed set.
iWhen you use the cruise control lever
to decelerate, the transmission will au-
tomatically downshift if the engine’s
braking power does not brake the vehi-
cle sufficiently.
Warning!
G
The speed stored in memory should only be
set again if prevailing road conditions per-
mit. Possible acceleration or deceleration
differences arising from returning to the pre-
set speed could cause an accident and/or
serious injury to you and others.