2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S500 power closing

ContentsSafety and Security........................... 59
Occupant safety................................... 60
Air bags .......................................... 61
Seat belts ....................................... 67
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®)................................... 70
Children in the vehicle .................... 71
Override switch for rear
passenger compartment ................ 77
Panic alarm .......................................... 78
Activating ....................................... 78
Deactivating ................................... 78
Driving safety systems ......................... 79
ABS ................................................ 79
BAS ................................................ 80
ESP
®.............................................. 81
Four wheel electronic traction
system (4MATIC) with the ESP
®..... 84
Anti-theft systems................................ 85
Immobilizer..................................... 85
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 86
Tow-away alarm ............................. 88
Controls in detail............................... 91
Locking and unlocking ......................... 92
SmartKey ....................................... 92
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ........ 96
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 102
Opening the trunk ........................ 103
Closing the trunk.......................... 105
Trunk lid emergency release ........ 111
Power closing assist for doors
and trunk lid ................................. 112
Automatic central locking ............ 112
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 113
Seats ................................................. 114
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 114
Removing and installing front
seat head restraints ..................... 116
Rear seats .................................... 117
Rear seat head restraints ............. 120
Lumbar support............................ 122
Multicontour backrest* ................ 122
Drive-dynamic seat* .................... 124
Seat heating* ............................... 125
Seat ventilation* .......................... 127Memory function ............................... 128
Storing positions into memory ..... 129
Recalling positions from memory . 129
Storing exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................ 130
Lighting ............................................. 131
Exterior lamp switch .................... 131
Combination switch ..................... 135
Hazard warning flasher ................ 136
Interior lighting ............................ 137
Courtesy lighting .......................... 139
Door entry lamps ......................... 139
Trunk lighting ............................... 139
Instrument cluster ............................. 140
Instrument cluster illumination .... 140
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 141
Trip odometer .............................. 141
Tachometer .................................. 142
Outside temperature indicator ..... 142
Clock............................................ 142
Control system .................................. 143
Multifunction display.................... 143
Multifunction steering wheel........ 144
Menus .......................................... 146
Standard display menu ................ 148
AUDIO menu ................................ 148

Contents
CD changer* operating mode ...... 151
TEL menu* ................................... 153
NAVI menu ................................... 155
Distronic* menu........................... 156
Trip computer menu..................... 157
Vehicle status message
memory menu .............................. 159
Settings menu .............................. 160
Automatic transmission ..................... 173
Gear selector lever position ......... 175
Driving tips ................................... 177
Gear ranges ................................. 178
Automatic shift program .............. 179
Gear selector lever one-touch
gearshifting .................................. 180
Steering wheel gearshift control
one-touch gearshifting S 55 AMG
and S 65 AMG .............................. 181
Manual shift program S 55 AMG
and S 65 AMG .............................. 183
Emergency operation
(Limp Home Mode) ...................... 185Good visibility ..................................... 186
Headlamp cleaning system*
(Standard on S 500, S 600,
S 55 AMG and S 65 AMG)............. 186
Rear view mirrors.......................... 186
Power folding exterior rear
view mirrors .................................. 188
Sun visors ..................................... 190
Rear window sunshade ................. 191
Rear side window sunshade*........ 191
Automatic climate control .................. 192
Deactivating the climate
control system .............................. 195
Setting the temperature................ 195
Adjusting air distribution............... 196
Adjusting air volume ..................... 197
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL ........ 197
Defrosting ..................................... 197
Air recirculation mode .................. 198
Charcoal filter ............................... 200
Rear window defroster .................. 201
Air conditioning............................. 202
Residual heat and ventilation ........ 202Ventilated storage compartment .. 203
Rear passenger compartment
adjustable air vents ...................... 204
Rear passenger compartment
climate control*............................ 205
Power windows .................................. 208
Opening and closing the power
windows........................................ 208
Synchronizing the power
windows........................................ 210
Summer opening feature .............. 210
Convenience closing feature......... 211
Power tilt/sliding sunroof .................. 212
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 212
Synchronizing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof........................ 214
Driving systems .................................. 215
Cruise control ............................... 215
Distronic* ..................................... 218
Airmatic ........................................ 229
Active Body Control (ABC)* .......... 232
Parktronic system*
(Parking assist) ............................. 235

106 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingClosing the trunk from the outside
manually
1Handle
Lower trunk lid by pulling firmly on
handle1.2Extending handle

Push the trunk lid down gently at the
extending handle2 until it engages
into the lock.
The extending handle2 is retracted
after a few seconds.
The power closing assist automatically en-
sures that the lid is pulled closed com-
pletely (
page 112).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the trunk
lid opening when closing the trunk. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
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.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.

112 Controls in detailLocking and unlockingPower closing assist for doors and trunk lid
It is not necessary to slam the door or
trunk lid closed. A pneumatic power-as-
sisted mechanism draws doors and trunk
lid closed quietly and automatically once
door and trunk lid has been latched. When
the pneumatic power-assisted mechanism
has stopped, doors and/or trunk can be
re-opened.Power closing assist for doors

Press the doors gently past the initial
engage position into the lock.
The doors close automatically.
Power closing assist for trunk lid

Press the trunk lid gently into its lock.
The trunk closes automatically.
Automatic central locking
The doors and the trunk automatically lock
when the ignition is switched on and the
wheels are turning at vehicle speeds of ap-
proximately 9 mph (15 km/h) or more.
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
You can deactivate the automatic locking
using the control system (
page 168).
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
or trunk opening when closing a door or the
trunk lid. Be especially careful when small
children are around.
In case of danger, pull the inside or outside
door handle, or press the trunk lid lock.
To prevent personal injury, never actuate
the closing assist mechanism by tampering
with the door or trunk lid latch.
Warning!
G
Only drive with the doors closed. Otherwise,
one or more of the doors could open while
the vehicle is in motion, putting you and/or
others at risk.Warning!
G
Only drive with the trunk closed as, among
other dangers such as blocked visibility, ex-
haust fumes may enter the vehicle interior.
iThe doors unlock automatically after an
accident if the force of the impact ex-
ceeds a preset threshold. The vehicle
locks automatically when the ignition is
switched on and the wheels are turning
at vehicle speeds of approximately
9 mph (15 km/h) or more. You could
therefore lock yourself out when the
vehicle

is pushed or towed


is on a test stand

208 Controls in detailPower windowsOpening 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 77)
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
t h a t b l o c k s i t s p a t h i n a c i r c u m s t a n c e w h e r e
you are closing the window by pressing and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
button ‹ on the SmartKey, by pressing
and holding the lock button (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) on an outside door handle,
or by pressing and holding button
,
or
button
e
on the climate control panel,
the automatic reversal function will not op-
erate.
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 210) and
“Convenience closing feature”
(
page 211).
You can close and reopen the windows
using the air recirculation button,
or the charcoal filter buttone in the
climate control panel (
page 193).

209 Controls in detail
Power windows

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
Opening the windows

Press switch1 to 4 at the
symbolk to the resistance point.
The corresponding window will move
downwards until you release the
switch.Closing the windows

Press switch1 to 4 at the
symbolj to the resistance point.
The corresponding window will move
upwards until you release the switch.
Fully opening the windows
(Express-open)

Press switch1 to 4 at the
symbolk past the resistance point
and release.
The corresponding window opens com-
pletely.Fully closing the windows
(Express-close)

Press switch1 to 4 at the
symbolj past the resistance point
and release.
The corresponding window closes com-
pletely.
iOperating the windows from the rear is
not possible if you activate the override
switch (
page 77).
iWith the SmartKey in starter switch po-
sition 0 or removed from the starter
switch, the power windows can be op-
erated:

until you open the driver’s or front
passenger door


for at least five minutes
Warning!
G
If you press and hold the switch up when
closing the window, and upward movement
of the window is blocked by some obstruc-
tion including but not limited to arms, hands,
fingers, etc., the automatic reversal will not
operate.
Warning!
G
Driver’s door only:
If within five seconds you again press the
switch past the resistance point and re-
lease, the automatic reversal will not func-
tion.!If the upward movement of the window
is blocked during the closing proce-
dure, the window will stop and open
slightly. Remove the obstruction, press
the respective power window switch at
the symbolj again past the resis-
tance point and release. If the window


211 Controls in detail
Power windows
Convenience closing feature
When you lock the vehicle, you can close
the side windows and tilt/sliding sunroof
simultaneously. 
Aim transmitter eye of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* at the
driver’s outside door handle
(page 210). The SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be
in close proximity to the driver’s door
handle.

Press and hold button ‹ until the
side windows and tilt/sliding sunroof
are completely closed.

Release button ‹ to interrupt pro-
cedure.Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Press and hold the lock button on an
outside door handle (
page 58) until
the side windows and the tilt/sliding
sunroof are completely closed.

Release the lock button on the outside
door handle to interrupt procedure.
Warning!
G
When closing the side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof, make sure that there is
no danger of anyone being harmed by the
closing procedure.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:

Release button ‹to stop the closing
procedure. To open, press and hold but-
ton Œ. To continue the closing after
making sure that there is no danger of
anyone being harmed by the closing pro-
cedure, press and hold button‹.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:


Release the lock button on the outside
door handle (
page 58) to stop the
closing procedure.


Pull on the outside door handle and hold
firmly. The side windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof will open for as long
as the outside door handle is held but
the door is not opened.

212 Controls in detailPower tilt/sliding sunroofOpening and closing the power tilt/sliding sunroof
The tilt/sliding sunroof is opened and
closed electrically. The switch for the
tilt/sliding sunroof is on the overhead con-
trol panel.
1Push up to raise sunroof at rear
2Pull down to lower sunroof at rear
3Push forward to slide sunroof closed
4Push back to slide sunroof openWith the sunroof closed or tilted open, a
screen can be slid into the roof opening to
help provide shade. When sliding the sun-
roof open, the screen will also retract.
Warning!
G
When closing the tilt/sliding sunroof, make
sure that there is no danger of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
The closing procedure of the tilt/sliding sun-
roof can be immediately halted by releasing
the switch or, if the switch was moved past
the resistance point and released, by mov-
ing the switch in any direction.
The tilt/sliding sunroof is made out of glass.
In the event of an accident, the glass may
shatter. This may result in an opening in the
roof.
In a vehicle rollover, occupants not wearing
their seat belts or not wearing them properly
may be thrown out of the opening. Such an
opening also presents a potential for injury
for occupants wearing their seat belts
properly as entire body parts or portions of
them may protrude from the passenger
compartment.