2006 MERCEDES-BENZ S600 steering

273 Operation
Driving instructions
Driving instructions
Drive sensibly – save fuel
Fuel consumption, to a great extent, de-
pends on driving habits and operating con-
ditions.
To save fuel you should:

Keep tires at the recommended tire
inflation pressures.


Remove unnecessary loads.


Remove roof rack when not in use.


Allow engine to warm up under low
load use.


Avoid frequent acceleration and decel-
eration.


Have all maintenance work performed
at the intervals specified in the Mainte-
nance Booklet and as required by the
Maintenance System (U.S. vehicles) or
FSS (Canada vehicles). Contact an au-
thorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Fuel consumption is also increased by driv-
ing in cold weather, in stop-and-go traffic,
on short trips, and in hilly area.
Drinking and driving
PedalsPower assistance
Warning!
G
Drinking and driving and/or taking drugs
and driving are very dangerous combina-
tions. Even a small amount of alcohol or
drugs can affect your reflexes, perceptions
and judgment.
The possibility of a serious or even fatal ac-
cident are greatly increased when you drink
or take drugs and drive.
Do not drink or take drugs and drive or allow
anyone to drive who has been drinking or
taking drugs.
Warning!
G
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement.Warning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and steering
systems. In this case, it is important to keep
in mind that a considerably higher degree of
effort is necessary to brake and steer the ve-
hicle.

279 Operation
Driving instructions
S 350, S 430, S 430 4MATIC, S 500 and
S5004MATIC
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“H”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 130 mph (210 km/h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
130 mph (210 km/h).
S600
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 186 mph (300 km/h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
130 mph (210 km/h).
S 430, S 430 4MATIC, S 500,
S5004MATIC, and S600 with
Sport Package* or S 600 with Appear-
ance Package*
Your vehicle is factory equipped with
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 186 mph (300 km/h).An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
130 mph (210 km/h).
S55AMG and S65AMG
Your vehicle is factory equipped with min.
“Y”-rated tires, which have a speed rating
of 186 mph (300 km/h).
An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of
155 mph (250 km/h).
Winter driving instructions
The most important rule for slippery or icy
roads is to drive sensibly and to avoid
abrupt acceleration, braking and steering
maneuvers. Do not use the cruise control
system under such conditions.
When the vehicle is in danger of skidding,
move gear selector lever to position N. Try
to keep the vehicle under control by cor-
rective steering action.
iFor information on speed rating for win-
ter tires, see “Winter tires”
(page 327).
For additional general information on
tire speed markings on tire sidewall,
see “Tire speed rating” (
page 315).
iFor information on driving with snow
chains, see “Snow chains”
(page 328).
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of control loss.

289 Operation
Engine compartment
Checking the engine oil level with the
control system
When checking the oil level

the vehicle must be parked on level
ground


with the engine at operating tempera-
ture, the vehicle must have been sta-
tionary for at least five minutes with the
engine turned off


with the engine not at operating tem-
perature yet, the vehicle must have
been stationary for at least 30 minutes
with the engine turned off
To check the engine oil level via the multi-
function display, do the following:

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).
The standard display (
page 148) should
appear in the multifunction display.

Press buttonk or j on the
steering wheel until the following mes-
sage is seen in the multifunction dis-
play:
One of the following messages will sub-
sequently appear in the indicator:

E N G I N E O I L L E V E L
OK


A D D 1 . 0 Q T . T O
REACH MAX. OIL LEVEL(Canada:
1.0 LITER
)


ADD 1.5 QTS. TO
REACH MAX. OIL LEVEL(Canada:
1.5 LITERS
)


A D D 2 . 0 Q T S .
TO REACH MAX. OIL LEVEL(Canada:
2.0 LITERS
)

If necessary, add engine oil.
For adding engine oil (
page 292).
For more information on engine oil, see the
“Technical data” section (page 434) and
(
page 437).iIf you want to interrupt the checking
procedure, press thek or j
button on the multifunction steering
wheel.

301 Operation
Tires and wheels
Tire and Loading Information
Your vehicle is equipped with either the
Tire and Loading Information placard
(Example A) or the Vehicle Tire Information
placard (Example B). Placard (Example A)
1Load limit information on the Tire and
Loading Information placard
The placard showing the load limit informa-
tion is located on the driver’s door B-pillar.
If your vehicle is equipped with the Tire and
Loading Information placard (Example A),
locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kilograms or XXX lbs.”
on this placard. The combined weight of all
occupants, cargo / luggage and trailer
tongue load (if applicable) should never
exceed the weight referenced in that
statement.Warning!
G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit or vehicle capacity
weight as indicated on the placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the tires
can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.
iData shown on placard examples are
for illustration purposes only. Load lim-
it data are specific to each vehicle and
may vary from data shown in the illus-
trations below. Refer to placard on ve-
hicle for actual data specific to your
vehicle.

309 Operation
Tires and wheels

Switch on the ignition (
page 34).

Press buttonè orÿ on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel repeatedly
until the standard display menu
appears in the multifunction display
(page 143).

Press buttonj ork repeatedly
until the current tire inflation pressures
for each tire appear in the multifunc-
tion display.
iAfter you have reactivated the tire infla-
tion pressure monitor, the current tire
inflation pressures will only be shown
after a few minutes’ driving time.
During this time, you will see the follow-
ing message in the multifunction dis-
play:TIRE PRES. DISPLAY
APPEARS AFTER
DRIVING A FEW
MINUTESiPossible differences between the
readings of a tire inflation pressure
gauge of an air hose, e.g. gas station
equipment, and the vehicle’s control
system can occur. The readings issued
by the control system are more pre-
cise.
iYou can select the unit of measure
(Bar/Psi) used for the tire inflation
pressure by changing the setting in the
control system (
page 164).
Warning!
G
When the tire inflation pressure monitoring
system warning light is lit, one or more of
your tires is significantly under-inflated. You
should stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper tire
inflation pressure as indicated on the vehi-
cle’s tire information placard. Driving on a
significantly under-inflated tire causes the
tire to overheat and can lead to tire failure.
Under-inflation also reduces fuel efficiency
and tire tread life, and may affect the vehi-
cle’s handling and stopping ability. Each tire,
including the spare, should be checked
monthly when cold and set to the recom-
mended tire inflation pressure as specified
in the vehicle placard and owner’s manual.

310 OperationTires and wheels
iThe recommended tire inflation pres-
sures for your vehicle can be found on
the tire placard located on the driver’s
door B-pillar. The tire inflation pres-
sures are not listed in the owner’s man-
ual.Warning!
G
The tire inflation pressure monitor does not
indicate a warning for wrongly selected tire
inflation pressures. Always adjust tire infla-
tion pressure according to the placard on
the driver’s door B-pillar or, if available, the
inside of the fuel filler flap.
The tire inflation pressure monitor is not
able to issue a warning due to a sudden dra-
matic loss of tire inflation pressure (e.g. tire
blowout caused by a foreign object). In this
case bring the vehicle to a halt by carefully
applying the brakes and avoiding abrupt
steering maneuvers.
iOperating radio transmission equip-
ment (e.g. wireless headsets, two-way
radios) in or near the vehicle could
cause the tire inflation pressure moni-
tor to malfunction.
Warning!
G
Follow recommend tire inflation pressures.
Do not underinflate tires. Underinflated tires
wear excessively and/or unevenly,
adversely affect handling and fuel economy,
and are more likely to fail from being over-
heated.
Do not overinflate tires. Overinflated tires
can adversely affect handling and ride
comfort, wear unevenly, increase stopping
distance, and result in sudden deflation
(blowout) because they are more likely to
become punctured or damaged by road
debris, potholes etc.
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit or vehicle capacity
weight as indicated on the placard on the
driver’s door B-pillar (
page 300). Over-
loading the tires can overheat them, possi-
bly causing a blowout.

311 Operation
Tires and wheels
Reactivating the tire inflation pressure
monitor
The tire inflation pressure monitor must be
reactivated in the following situations:

If you have changed the tire inflation
pressure.


If you have replaced the wheels or
tires.


If you have installed new wheels or
tires.

Using the tire placard on the driver’s
door B-pillar or, if available, the inside
of the fuel filler flap, make sure the tire
inflation pressure of all four tires is cor-
rect.

Press buttonè orÿ on the mul-
tifunction steering wheel repeatedly
until the standard display menu
appears in the multifunction display
(page 143).

Press button j or k repeatedly
until you see the current tire inflation
pressures for each tire appear in the
multifunction display or the following
message appears in the multifunction
display:TIRE PRES. DISPLAY
APPEARS AFTER
DRIVING A FEW
MINUTES

Press the reset buttonJon the in-
strument cluster (
page 140).The following message will appear in
the multifunction display:
MONITOR CURRENT
TIRE

PRESSURES?


Press the æ button.
The following message will appear in
the multifunction display:TIRE PRES. MONITOR
REACTIVATED The tire inflation pressure monitor will
now monitor the tire inflation pressure
values of all four tires.
The following message will appear in
the multifunction display:TIRE PRES. DISPLAY
APPEARS AFTER
DRIVING A FEW
MINUTES
iIf you are transporting a deflated tire in
the vehicle, do not activate the tire
inflation pressure monitor until

the deflated tire is no longer in the
vehicle


you have inflated the tire to the
correct tire inflation pressure.


315 Operation
Tires and wheels
For additional information on tire load
rating, see “Load identification”
(page 317).Tire speed rating
The tire speed rating6 (
page 313)
indicates the approved maximum speed
for the tire.
Warning!
G
The tire load rating must always be at least
half of the GAWR (
page 323) of your vehi-
cle. Otherwise, tire failure may be the result
which may cause an accident and/or seri-
ous personal injury to you or others.
Always replace rims and tires with the same
designation, manufacturer and type as
shown on the original part.
Warning!
G
Do not overload the tires by exceeding the
specified load limit or vehicle capacity
weight as indicated on the placard located
on the driver’s door B-pillar. Overloading the
tires can overheat them, possibly causing a
blowout. Overloading the tires can also
result in handling or steering problems, or
brake failure.
iTire load rating5 (
page 313) and
tire speed rating6 (page 313) are
also referred to as “service descrip-
tion”.
Warning!
G
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the
maximum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire
failure, causing loss of vehicle control and
possibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury and possible death, for you
and for others. iTire load rating5 (
page 313) and
tire speed rating6 (page 313) are
also referred to as “service descrip-
tion”.