2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 wheel

220 Controls in detailDriving systemsWarning!
G
Distronic cannot take street and traffic con-
ditions into account. Only use Distronic if
the road, weather and traffic conditions
make it advisable to travel at a steady
speed.Warning!
G
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on slip-
pery roads. Rapid changes in tire traction
can result in wheel spin and loss of control.
Distronic does not act upon adverse sight
distance conditions. Do not use Distronic
during conditions of fog and heavy rain,
snow or sleet.
Warning!
G
Distronic cannot take weather conditions
into account. Switch off Distronic or do not
turn it on if:

roads are slippery or covered with snow
or ice. The wheels could lose traction
while braking or accelerating, and the
vehicle could skid


the sensor is dirty or visibility is
diminished due to snow, rain or fog. The
distance control could be impaired
Always pay attention to traffic conditions
even while Distronic is switched on. Other-
wise, you may not be able to recognize
dangerous situations until it is too late and
could cause an accident resulting in person-
al or fatal injury to you or others.
Warning!
G
Close attention to road and traffic condi-
tions is imperative at all times, regardless of
whether or not Distronic is activated.
Use of Distronic can be dangerous on wind-
ing roads or in heavy traffic because condi-
tions do not allow safe driving at a steady
speed.
Distronic will not react to stationary objects
in the roadway (e.g. a stopped vehicle in a
traffic jam or a disabled vehicle). Distronic
will also not respond to oncoming vehicles.
Switch off Distronic:

when changing from the left to the right
lane if vehicles are moving more slowly
in the left lane


when entering a turn lane or highway off
ramp


in complex driving situations, such as in
highway construction zones
In these situations, Distronic will continue to
maintain the set speed unless deactivated.

227 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting the following distance in
Distronic
You can set the specified following dis-
tance for Distronic by varying the time set-
ting between 1.0 and 2.0 seconds. Using
this time setting and the current speed of
your vehicle, Distronic calculates and sets
the required following distance to the vehi-
cle ahead. The set distance will be shown
in the multifunction display field.
The thumbwheel for making the time set-
ting is located on the lower section of the
center console.1Distance warning function on/off
switch
2Indicator lamp
3Thumbwheel for setting distance
Increasing distance
Increasing the distance setting tells
Distronic to maintain a greater following
distance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel3 towards¯.Decreasing distance
Decreasing the distance setting tells
Distronic to maintain a shorter following
distance to the vehicle ahead.

Turn thumbwheel3 towards®.
Distance warning function
When Distronic is deactivated, this func-
tion will continue to warn you when recog-
nizing a stationary obstacle or 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 will sound if
necessary.
If these warnings are issued, you must
brake manually to maintain a safe distance
and avoid a collision with the vehicle
ahead.
Warning!
G
It is up to the driver to exercise discretion to
select the appropriate setting given road
conditions, traffic, driver’s preferred driving
style and applicable laws and driving recom-
mendations for safe following distance.

232 Controls in detailDriving systemsVehicle level control
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to

increase vehicle safety


reduce fuel consumption
The following vehicle chassis ride heights
can be selected:


Normal


Raised
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:


At a speed exceeding approximately
68 mph (110 km/h) with normal level
set or exceeding 75 mph (120 km/h)
with raised level set, the ride height is
reduced automatically. The table on
the next page provides an overview of
the vehicle levels.


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the normal level.
Select the raised level only when required
by current driving conditions. Otherwise


handling may be impaired


fuel consumption may increase
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These height adjustments are so small that
you may not notice any change.Warning!
G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.

252 Controls in detailUseful featuresPower outlet in trunk1Power outlet
Heated steering wheel (Canada only)
The steering wheel heating warms up the
leather area of the steering wheel.
The stalk is on the lower left-hand side of
the steering wheel.
1Switching on
2Switching off
3Indicator lampSwitching on

Switch on the ignition (
page 38).

Turn switch at the tip of stalk in direc-
tion of arrow1.
The steering wheel is heated. Indicator
lamp3 comes on.
i
The power outlet can be used to accommo-
date 12-V DC electrical accessories (e.g. air
pump, auxiliary lamps) up to a maximum 180 W.
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The steering wheel heating is temporarily
suspended while indicator lamp3 remains on
when


the temperature of the vehicle interior is
above 86°F (30°C)


the temperature of the steering wheel is
above 95°F (35°C)
When these conditions do not apply anymore,
steering wheel heating continues.


253 Controls in detail
Useful features
Switching off
Turn switch at the tip of stalk in direc-
tion of arrow2.
The heated steering wheel is switched
off. Indicator lamp3 goes out.
For information on steering wheel, see
“Multifunction steering wheel”
(
page 142).
Floormats
1Retainer pins
2Eyelets
Removing

Pull floormats off of retainer pins1.

Remove the floormats.
Installing

Lay down the floormat.

Press the floormat eyelets2 onto re-
tainer pins1.
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Indicator lamp3 flashes or goes out


in case of power surge or undervoltage


in case of a steering wheel heating malfunc-
tion
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The steering wheel heating switches off au-
tomatically when you remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch or, on vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*, when you switch off the ignition
(
page 61) and open the driver’s door.
Warning!
G
Whenever you are using floormats, make
sure there is enough clearance and that the
floormats are securely fastened.
Floormats should always be securely fas-
tened using eyelets2 and retainer pins1.
Before driving off, check that the floormats
are securely in place and adjust them if nec-
essary. A loose floormat could slip and
hinder proper functioning of the pedals.
Do not place several floormats on top of
each other as this may impair pedal
movement.
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To install or remove the floormat more easi-
ly, move the driver’s seat or front passenger seat
as far to the rear as possible (
page 42).

254 Controls in detailUseful featuresTelephone*
Radio transmitters, such as a portable tele-
phone or a citizens band unit, should only
be used inside the vehicle if they are con-
nected to an antenna that is installed on
the outside of the vehicle.
The external antenna must be approved by
Mercedes-Benz. Please contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center for informa-
tion on the installation of an approved
external antenna. Refer to the radio trans-
mitter operation instructions regarding use
of an external antenna.When the mobile phone is inserted in the
cradle, you can operate the telephone us-
ing the following devices:


mobile phone keypad


COMAND (see separate operating in-
structions)


buttonss andt on the multi-
function steering wheel


Voice Control* (see separate operating
instructions)
See also separate operating manual for in-
structions on how to use the mobile phone.
Warning!
G
Never operate radio transmitters equipped
with a built-in or attached antenna (i.e. with-
out being connected to an external antenna)
from inside the vehicle while the engine is
running. Doing so could lead to a malfunc-
tion of the vehicle’s electronic system, pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or serious
personal injury.
Warning!
G
Please do not forget that your primary re-
sponsibility is to drive the vehicle. A driver’s
attention to the road must always be
his/her primary focus when driving. For
your safety and the safety of others, we rec-
ommend that you pull over to a safe location
and stop before placing or taking a tele-
phone call.
If you choose to use the telephone
1 while
driving, please use the hands-free device
and only use the telephone when road,
weather and traffic conditions permit. Some
jurisdictions prohibit the driver from using a
mobile telephone while driving a vehicle.
Only operate the COMAND (Cockpit Man-
agement and Data System)
1 if road, weather
and traffic conditions permit.
Bear in mind that at a speed of just 30 mph
(approximately 50 km/h), your vehicle is
covering a distance of 44 feet (approximate-
ly 14 m) every second.
1Observe all legal requirements.
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Various mobile phone cradles can be in-
stalled in the cockpit. These mobile phone cra-
dles can be obtained from an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
The functions and services available to you while
using the mobile phone depend on your service
provider and the type of mobile phone you are
using.

255 Controls in detail
Useful features
The cradle is located in the center armrest.
Open the telephone compartment un-
der center armrest (
page 244).
Inserting mobile phone in mobile phone
cradle
Once the mobile phone has been inserted
in the mobile phone cradle, calls can only
be made via the Voice Control*.

If applicable, remove the cover for the
external antenna connection from the
back of the mobile phone and store it in
a s a f e p l a c e . B e s u r e t o c o m p l y w i t h t h e
mobile phone’s operating instructions,
as well.
Example illustration1Insert the mobile phone
2Connector contact
3Mobile phone cradle
Slide the lower end of the mobile phone
into connector contact 2 on
cradle3.

Push the top of the mobile phone in di-
rection of arrow 1, until the lug on the
mobile phone release button engages.
The mobile phone is connected to the
network via the external antenna. The mobile phone is linked to the
hands-free device and the multifunc-
tion steering wheel.
The battery is charged depending on its
charge status and the position of the
SmartKey in the starter switch. The
charge procedure will be indicated in
the mobile phone’s display.
You can place or receive phone calls. You
can control other functions of the mobile
phone via the control system
(
page 168), COMAND or Voice Control*
(see separate operating instructions).
!
Do not try to remove the mobile phone along
with the cradle. You could otherwise damage the
mobile phone cradle.
i
When you take the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* out of the starter switch, the
mobile phone remains switched on for approx.
10 minutes. If you place or receive a call during
this time, the mobile phone switches off 10 min-
utes after the call has been completed.

257 Controls in detail
Useful features
Tele Aid
Shortly after the completion of your Tele
Aid acquaintance call, you will receive a
user ID and password. By visiting
www.mbusa.com and selecting “Tele Aid”
(USA only), you will have access to account
information, remote door unlock and
more.The Tele Aid system
(Tele
matic A
larm I
dentification on
D
emand)
The Tele Aid system consists of three
types of response:

automatic and manual emergency


roadside assistance


information
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and cel-
lular and GPS coverage is available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted when using the volume control
on the COMAND System or on the multi-
function steering wheel. To raise, turn the
rotary volume control on COMAND System
clockwise or press buttonæ on the
multifunction steering wheel. To lower,
turn the rotary volume control on
COMAND System control counterclock-
wise or press buttonç on the multi-
function steering wheel.

To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button• or
the Information button¡, depend-
ing on the type of response required.
!
The initial activation of the Tele Aid system
may only be performed by completing the sub-
scriber agreement and placing an acquaintance
call using the ¡button. Failure to complete
either of these steps will result in a system that
is not activated.
If you have any questions regarding activation,
please call the Response Center at
1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
i
The SOS button is located in the overhead
control panel (
page 259).
The Roadside Assistance button• and the
Information button¡ are located below the
center armrest cover (
page 244).