2007 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS550 wheel

261 Controls in detail
Useful features
Information button¡
The Information button¡ is located
below the center armrest cover.
Open the storage compartment under
the center armrest (
page 244).

Press and hold button (for longer than
2 seconds).
A call to the Customer Assistance
Center will be initiated. The button will
flash while the call is in progress. The
message
Connecting call
will appear
in the multifunction display.
When the connection is established, the
message
Call connected
appears in the
multifunction display. The Tele Aid system
will transmit data generating the vehicle
identification number, model, color and lo-
cation (subject to availability of cellular
and GPS signals).A voice connection between the Customer
Assistance Center representative and the
occupants of the vehicle will be estab-
lished. Information regarding the operation
of your vehicle, the nearest
Mercedes-Benz Center or Mercedes-Benz
USA products and services is available to
you.
For more details concerning the Tele Aid
system, please visit www.mbusa.com and
use your ID and password (sent to you sep-
arately) to learn more (USA only).
i
The indicator lamp on the Roadside
Assistance button• remains illuminated in
red for approximately 10 seconds during the sys-
tem self-check after switching on the ignition (to-
gether with the SOS button and the Information
button¡).
See system self-check (
page 258) if the indi-
cator lamp does not come on in red or stays on
longer than approximately 10 seconds.
If the indicator lamp on the Roadside Assistance
button
•
is flashing continuously and there
was no voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could not
initiate a Roadside Assistance call (e.g. the rele-
vant cellular phone network was not available).
The message Call failed
appears in the mul-
tifunction display.
Roadside Assistance calls can be terminated us-
ing the
t
button on the multifunction steer-
ing wheel or the END Button on the COMAND
System.
i
While the call is connected, you can change
to the navigation menu by pressing NAVI button
on the COMAND System.
i
The indicator lamp in the Information
button¡ remains illuminated in red for ap-
proximately 10 seconds during the system
self-check after switching on the ignition (togeth-
er with the SOS button and the Roadside
Assistance button•).
See system self-check (
page 258) if the indi-
cator lamp does not come on in red or stays on
longer than approximately 10 seconds.

262 Controls in detailUseful features
Call priority
If other service calls such as a Roadside
Assistance call or Information call are
active, an Emergency call is still possible.
In this case, the Emergency call will take
priority and override all other active calls.Remote door unlock
In case you have locked your vehicle unin-
tentionally (e.g. SmartKey inside vehicle),
and the reserve SmartKey is not handy:

Contact the Mercedes-Benz Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA)
or 1-888-923-8367 (in Canada).
You will be asked to provide your pass-
word which you provided when you
completed the subscriber agreement.

Then return to your vehicle and pull the
tailgate recessed handle for minimum
of 20 seconds until the SOS button is
flashing.
The message
Connecting call
ap-
pears in the multifunction display.
As an alternative, you may unlock the vehi-
cle via Internet using the ID and password
sent to you shortly after the completion of
your acquaintance call.
The Response Center will then unlock your
vehicle with the remote door unlocking
feature.
If the indicator lamp in the Information
button
¡
is flashing continuously and there
was no voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could not
initiate an Information call (e.g. the relevant cel-
lular phone network is not available). The mes-
sage
Call failed
appears in the
multifunction display.
Information calls can be terminated using
the
t
button on the multifunction steering
wheel or the END Button on the COMAND Sys-
tem.
!
If the indicator lamps do not start flashing
after pressing one of the buttons or remain illu-
minated (in red) at any time, the Tele Aid system
has detected a malfunction or the service is not
currently active, and may not initiate a call. Visit
your authorized Mercedes-Benz Center and have
the system checked or contact the Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada) as soon as possi-
ble.
i
The indicator lamp in the respective button
flashes until the call is concluded. Emergency
calls can only be terminated by a Response Cen-
ter or Customer Assistance Center representa-
tive, whereas Roadside Assistance and
Information calls can also be terminated by
pressing buttont on the multifunction steer-
ing wheel or using the END button on the
COMAND System.
!
If the indicator lamp continues to flash or
the system does not reset, contact the Response
Center at 1-800-756-9018 (in the USA) or
1-888-923-8367 (in Canada), or Mercedes-Benz
Customer Assistance at 1-800-FOR-MERCedes
(1-800-367-6372) in the USA or Customer Ser-
vice at 1-800-387-0100 in Canada.

269 Operation
The first 1 000 miles (1 500 km)
Driving instructions
At the gas station
Engine compartment
Tires and wheels
Winter driving
Maintenance
Vehicle care

274 OperationDriving instructionsHigh-performance brake system
(CLS 63 AMG only)
The high-performance brake system is de-
signed to operate under the extremely high
operating demands required to accommo-
date the performance capabilities of the
vehicle. The brakes may produce a squeak-
ing-type noise depending on the

vehicle speed


brake force applied


ambient conditions, e.g. temperature
and humidity
As with any brake system, the wear of indi-
vidual brake system components such as
brake pads or disks strongly depends on
your driving style and the conditions under
which you operate the vehicle. Thus, a driv-
ing style calling for high demand braking
will cause your vehicle’s brakes to wear
more quickly.
Driving off
Apply the brakes to test them briefly after
driving off. Perform this procedure only
when the road is clear of other traffic.
Warm up the engine smoothly. Do not
place full load on the engine until the oper-
ating temperature has been reached.
When starting off on a slippery surface, do
not allow a drive wheel to spin for an ex-
tended period with the ESP
® switched off.
Doing so may cause serious damage to the
drive train which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
New vehicle brake pads and discs, and
replacement brake pads and discs may take
several hundred miles of driving until they
provide optimum braking efficiency. Until
that time, you may need to use increased
brake pedal pressure while braking. Please
be aware of this and adjust your driving and
braking accordingly during this break-in
period.
Excessive high demand braking will cause
correspondingly high brake wear. Please be
attentive to the brake warning lamp in the
instrument cluster and brake condition mes-
sages in the multifunction display. Especial-
ly for high performance driving, it is
important to maintain and have the brake
system checked regularly.
!
When driving off on a slippery surface, do
not allow a drive wheel to spin for an extended
period with the ESP
® switched off. Doing so may
cause serious damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.
!
Simultaneously depressing the accelerator
pedal and applying the brake reduces engine
performance and causes premature brake and
drivetrain wear.

275 Operation
Driving instructions
Parking
TiresTreadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and
become visible at a tread depth of approx-
imately
1/16 in (1.6 mm), at which point the
tire is considered worn and should be re-
placed.
The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Warning!
G
Do not park this vehicle in areas where com-
bustible materials such as grass, hay or
leaves can come into contact with the hot
exhaust system, as these materials could be
ignited and cause a vehicle fire.
To reduce the risk of personal injury, or
damage to the vehicle drivetrain, as a result
of vehicle movement, before turning off the
engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Move the gear selector lever to
positionP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


Slowly release brake pedal.


When parked on an incline, turn front
wheel towards the road curb.


Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position0 and remove the SmartKey
from the starter switch, or press
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button (vehi-
cles with KEYLESS-GO*).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you and lock vehicle
when leaving.
Warning!
G
If you feel a sudden significant vibration or
ride disturbance, or you suspect that possi-
ble damage to your vehicle has occurred,
you should turn on the hazard warning flash-
ers, carefully slow down, and drive with cau-
tion to an area which is a safe distance from
the road.
Inspect the tires and the vehicle underbody
for possible damage. If the vehicle or tires
appear unsafe, have the vehicle towed to
the nearest Mercedes-Benz Center or tire
dealer for repairs.

276 OperationDriving instructionsSpecified tire inflation pressures must be
maintained. This applies particularly if the
tires are subjected to high loads (e.g. high
speeds, heavy loads, high ambient temper-
atures).For more information, see “Tires and
wheels” (
page 293).
Hydroplaning
Depending on the depth of the water layer
on the road, hydroplaning may occur, even
at low speeds and with new tires. Reduce
vehicle speed, avoid track grooves in the
road and apply brakes cautiously in the
rain.
Tire traction
The safe speed on a wet, snow covered or
icy road is always lower than on a dry road.
You should pay particular attention to the
condition of the road whenever the outside
temperatures are close to the freezing
point.
Warning!
G
Although the applicable federal motor vehi-
cle safety laws consider a tire to be worn
when the treadwear indicators (TWI) be-
come visible at approximately
1/16in
(1.6 mm), we recommend that you do not
allow your tires to wear down to that level.
As tread depth approaches
1/8in (3 mm),
the adhesion properties on a wet road are
sharply reduced.
Depending upon the weather and/or road
surface (conditions), the tire traction varies
widely.
Warning!
G
Do not drive with a flat tire. A flat tire affects
the ability to steer or brake the vehicle. You
may lose control of the vehicle. Continued
driving with a flat tire or driving at high
speed with a flat tire will cause excessive
heat build-up and possibly a fire.
Warning!
G
If ice has formed on the road, tire traction
will be substantially reduced. Under such
weather conditions, drive, steer and brake
with extreme caution.

277 Operation
Driving instructions
Mercedes-Benz recommends winter tires
(page 327) with a minimum tread depth
of approximately
1/6in (4 mm) on all four
wheels for the winter season to make sure
normal balanced handling characteristics.
On packed snow, they can reduce your
stopping distance compared to summer
tires. Stopping distance, however, is still
considerably greater than when the road is
not covered with snow or ice. Exercise
appropriate caution.
Tire speed rating
Regardless of the tire speed rating, local
speed limits should be obeyed. Use pru-
dent driving speeds appropriate to prevail-
ing conditions.An electronic speed limiter prevents your
vehicle from exceeding a speed of:


CLS 550
CLS 550 (Sport Package*):
130 mph (210 km/h)


CLS 63 AMG:
155 mph (250 km/h)


CLS 63 AMG (Performance Package*):
186 mph (300 km/h)
The factory equipped tires on your vehicle
may have a tire speed rating above the
maximum speed permitted by the elec-
tronic speed limiter.
Make sure your tires have the required tire
speed rating as specified for your vehicle in
the “Technical data” section (
page 438),
for example when purchasing new tires.
!
Avoid spinning of a drive wheel. This may
cause serious damage to the drivetrain which is
not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited War-
ranty.
Warning!
G
Even when permitted by law, never operate
a vehicle at speeds greater than the maxi-
mum speed rating of the tires.
Exceeding the maximum speed for which
tires are rated can lead to sudden tire fail-
ure, causing loss of vehicle control and pos-
sibly resulting in an accident and/or
personal injury and possible death, for you
and for others.

278 OperationDriving instructionsFor information on how to identify the tire
speed rating on a tire’s sidewall, see “Tire
size designation, load and speed rating”
(page 314).
If you are uncertain about the correct read-
ing of the information given on a tire’s side-
wall, any authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center will be glad to assist you.
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 positionN. Try
to keep the vehicle under control by cor-
rective steering action.Road salts and chemicals can adversely
affect braking efficiency. Increased pedal
force may become necessary to produce
the normal braking effect.
Depressing the brake pedal periodically
when traveling at length on salt-strewn
roads can bring road-salt-impaired braking
efficiency back to normal.
If the vehicle is parked after being driven
on salt-treated roads, the braking efficien-
cy should be tested as soon as possible
after driving is resumed.
i
For information on speed rating for winter
tires, see “Winter driving” (
page 327).
For additional general information on tire speed
markings on tire sidewall, see “Tire speed rating”
(
page 316).
i
For more 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.