2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CL500 Owner's Manual

360 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Warning!G
Always fasten your seat belt before driving
off. Always make sure all of your passengers
are properly restrained.
Failure to wear and properly fasten and
position your seat belt greatly increases
your risk of injuries and their likely severity
in an accident. You and your passengers
should always wear seat belts.
If you are ever in an accident, your injuries
can be considerably more severe without
your seat belt properly buckled. Without
your seat belt buckled, you are much more
likely to hit the interior of the vehicle or be
ejected from it. You can be seriously injured
or killed.
In the same crash, the possibility of injury or
death is lessened if you are wearing your
seat belt. The air bags can only provide the
protection they were designed to afford if
the occupants are using their seat belts
(
page 42).
Warning!G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 57).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
Warning!G
Never let more people ride in the vehicle
than there are seat belts available. Be sure
everyone riding in the vehicle is correctly re-
strained with a separate seat belt. Never use
a seat belt for more than one person at a
time.
Warning!G
Never ride in a moving vehicle with the seat
backrest in an excessively reclined position
as this can be dangerous. You could slide
under the seat belt in a collision. If you slide
under it, the belt would apply force at the ab-
domen or neck. That could cause serious or
even fatal injuries. The seat backrest and
seat belt provide the best restraint when the
wearer is in a nearly upright position and the
belt is properly positioned on the body.

361 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
1Belt outlet
2Latch plate
3Buckle
4Release button
Pull the seat belt smoothly from the
seat belt outlet 1.
Place the shoulder portion of the belt
across the top of your shoulder and the
lap portion across your hips.
Push latch plate2 into buckle3 until
it clicks.
If necessary, tighten the lap portion to
a snug fit by pulling shoulder portion
up.
To release the seat belt, press release
button4 and guide latch plate back to
belt outlet.
Warning!G
Read and observe the additional warning no-
tices printed in the “Safety and Security”
section (
page 40).

362 Controls in detail
Fastening the seat belts
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the belt when fastening.

Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the belt under your
arm.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.

Place the seat backrest in a nearly up-
right position.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.

Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant restraint, toddler restraint, or
booster seat always follow the child
seat manufacturer’s instructions.

Check your seat belt during travel to
make sure that it is properly posi-
tioned.

Make sure the seat belt is always fitted
snugly. Take special care of this when
wearing loose clothing.For more information, see “Seat belts”
(
page 52).
Seat belt height adjustment
The vehicle automatically adjusts the seat
belt height for the driver’s and front pas-
senger’s seats as well as for the rear outer
seats. Comply with the instructions on how
to properly fasten a seat belt
(
page 360).
Warning!G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash, they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

363 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
iIf you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country in
which the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
iThe active Bi-Xenon headlamps monitor
your steering angle and driving speed, then auto-
matically shift their beams to either side to bet-
ter follow the curvature of the road ahead,
increasing usable illumination over conventional
headlamps.
1‚Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
2ˆStanding lamps, right (turn left
one stop)
3MOff
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 365)
4*Automatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(
page 365)
5CParking lamps (also side marker
lamps, tail lamps, license plate
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
6BLow beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps when the com-
bination switch is pushed for-
ward. The tail lamps, license
plate lamps, side marker lamps,
parking lamps and instrument
panel lamps also come on.
7‡Front fog lamps
8†Rear fog lamp
iIf you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the headlamps before opening
the driver’s door.
In addition the message “Please switch off
lights” appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the headlamps.
!Failure to switch off the headlamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.

364 Controls in detail
Lighting
Manual headlamp mode
The low beam headlamps and parking
lamps can be switched on and off with the
exterior lamp switch.
Switching on low beam headlamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch toB.
The green indicator lampC in the
exterior lamp switch comes on.
Automatic headlamp mode
The following lamps switch on and off au-
tomatically depending on the brightness of
the ambient light:

Low beam headlamps

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
Turn the exterior lamp switch to *.
With the SmartKey in starter switch po-
sition 1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, only
the parking lamps and the side marker
lamps will switch on and off automati-
cally.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps, and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off automatically.
Warning!G
If the exterior lamp switch is set to*,

the headlamps may switch off unexpect-
edly when the system senses bright am-
bient light, for example light from
oncoming traffic.

the headlamps will not be automatically
switched on under foggy conditions.
To minimize risk to you and to others, acti-
vate headlamps by turning exterior lamp
switch to B when driving or when traffic
and/or ambient lighting conditions require
you to do so.
In low ambient lighting conditions, only
switch from position * to B with the
vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from * to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.
iUSA only:
With the automatic headlamp mode activated
you can switch on the high beam headlamps in
low ambient lighting conditions.

365 Controls in detail
Lighting
Daytime running lamp mode
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionM or*.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps

License plate lamps

Side marker lamps
Canada only
The daytime running lamp mode is manda-
tory and therefore in a constant mode.When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to positionN orP,
the low beam headlamps will switch off
with a 3-minute delay.
When the engine is running, and you
turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the parking lamps and
the side marker lamps switch on addi-
tionally.

turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 363).USA only
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime run-
ning lamp mode using the control system,
see “Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)” (
page 271).
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to position C
orB, the manual headlamp mode has
priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 363).
iWith the daytime running lamp mode activat-
ed and the engine running, the low beam head-
lamps cannot be switched off manually.
iWith the exterior lamp switch in position
M or *, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving you should turn the exterior
lamp switch to positionB to permit activa-
tion of the high beam headlamps.
iWith the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the exterior lamp switch in
position M, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving you should turn the exterior
lamp switch to positionB or * to permit
activation of the high beam headlamps.

366 Controls in detail
Lighting
Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
The locator lighting and night security illu-
mination are described in the COMAND ve-
hicle section under “Setting locator
lighting” (
page 236) and “Setting night
security illumination” (
page 235).
Fog lampsFront fog lampsSwitch on the low beam
headlampsB (
page 364).
Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The front fog lamps are switched on.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
exterior lamp switch comes on
(
page 363).
Push in the exterior lamp switch.
The front fog lamps are switched off.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
exterior lamp switch goes out.Rear fog lamp (driver’s side only)
Switch on the low beam
headlampsB (
page 364).
Pull out exterior lamp switch to second
stop.
The front fog lamps and the rear fog
lamp switch on.
The yellow indicator lamp† in the
exterior lamp switch comes on
(
page 363).
Push in the exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The rear fog lamp switches off.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
exterior lamp switch goes out.
The front fog lamps remain lit.
Warning!G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position * to B with
the vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from * to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.
iFog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps on. Fog
lamps should only be used in conjunction with
low beam headlamps. Consult your State or
Province Motor Vehicle Regulations regarding
permissible lamp operation.
iFog lamps cannot be switched on manually
with exterior lamp switch in position*. To
activate the fog lamps, turn exterior lamp switch
to positionB first.

367 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching on high beams
Combination switch
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB (
page 363).
Push the combination switch in the di-
rection of arrow1.
The high beam indicatorA in the in-
strument cluster comes on
(
page 30).
High beam flasher: Pull the combina-
tion switch briefly in the direction of
arrow2.
Headlamp cleaning system
1Headlamp washer button
Switch on the ignition (page 336).
Press button1 up or down.
The headlamps are cleaned with a
high-pressure water jet.For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system”
(page 519).
iThe headlamps are automatically cleaned
when, at the same time,

the engine is running

the headlamps are switched on

the windshield wipers have wiped the wind-
shield with washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition or press
button1, the automatic function is reset and
will start counting the next time from the begin-
ning.