2007 MERCEDES-BENZ E550 4MATIC ESP

147 Controls in detail
Lighting
Rear reading lamps
Press rear reading lamp
switch1or6 to switch on the re-
spective rear reading lamp.

Press rear reading lamp
switch1or6 again to switch off the
respective rear reading lamp.
Ambient lighting

Press ambient lighting switch3or7
repeatedly until ambient lighting4
has reached the desired intensity.
You can switch the ambient lighting on and
off, using the “Control system”
(
page 175).
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the cor-
responding door entry lamps will switch on
in the darkness when you open a door and
the automatic control is activated.
The door entry lamps will switch off when
the corresponding door is closed.
Trunk lamps
The trunk lamps switch on if the trunk is
opened.
If the trunk lid remains open, the trunk
lamps switch off automatically after ap-
proximately 10 minutes.
i
If you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the head-
lamps, the door entry lamps will remain lit for ap-
proximately 5 minutes.

150 Controls in detailInstrument clusterOutside temperature indicator
The outside temperature is displayed in
the instrument cluster (
page 26).The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. This
means that the accuracy of the displayed
temperature can only be verified by com-
parison to a thermometer placed next to
the sensor, not by comparison to external
displays (e.g. bank signs etc.).When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

161 Controls in detail
Control system
AUDIO menu
The functions in the
AUDIO
menu operate
the audio equipment which you currently
have turned on.
If no audio equipment is currently turned
on, the message
AUDIO off
appears in the
multifunction display.
The following functions are available:Selecting radio station

Turn on COMAND and select radio. Re-
fer to separate COMAND operating in-
structions.

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until you see the currently tuned sta-
tion in the multifunction display.
1Waveband setting
2Station frequency

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired station is found.Selecting satellite radio station*
(USA only)
The satellite radio is treated as a radio ap-
plication.

Select SAT radio with the correspond-
ing softkey in the radio menu.
1SAT mode and preset number
2Setting for station selection using
memory
3Channel name or number

Press buttonk orj repeatedly
until the desired channel is found.
Function
Page
Selecting radio station
161
Selecting satellite radio station*
161
Operating CD player
162
i
You can only store new stations using the
corresponding feature on the radio, see separate
operating instructions.
You can also operate the radio in the usual man-
ner.


165 Controls in detail
Control system

Press buttonè orÿ repeatedly
until the vehicle status message mem-
ory appears in the multifunction dis-
play.
If the vehicle status message memory
menu does not appear, then there are
no messages stored.Vehicle status messages have been re-
corded
If conditions have occurred causing status
messages to be recorded, the number of
messages appears in the multifunction dis-
play:

Press buttonk orj.
The stored messages will now be dis-
played in the order in which they have
occurred. For malfunction and warning
messages, see “Vehicle status messag-
es in the multifunction display”
(page 396).
Should the vehicle’s system record any
conditions while driving, the number of
messages will reappear in the multifunc-
tion display when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is turned to position0 or re-
moved from the starter switch.
Warning!
G
Malfunction and warning messages are only
indicated for certain systems and are inten-
tionally not very detailed. The malfunction
and warning messages are simply a remind-
er with respect to the operation of certain
systems and do not replace the owner’s
and/or driver’s responsibility to maintain
the vehicle’s operating safety by having all
required maintenance and safety checks
performed on the vehicle and by bringing
the vehicle to an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center to address the malfunction and
warning messages (
page 396).
i
The vehicle status message memory will be
cleared when you turn the SmartKey in the start-
er switch to position1 or2. You will then only
see high priority messages in the multifunction
display (
page 396).

187 Controls in detail
Automatic transmission
Effect
ë
Neutral
No power is transmitted from the
engine to the drive axle. When
the brakes are released, the
vehicle can be moved freely
(pushed or towed).
To avoid damage to the trans-
mission, never engage neutral
positionN while driving.
If the ESP
® is deactivated or
malfunctioning:
Move gear selector lever to neu-
tral positionN only if the vehicle
is in danger of skidding, e.g. on
icy roads.
ê
Drive
The transmission shifts
automatically. All forward gears
are available.
!
Coasting the vehicle, or driving for any other
reason with gear selector lever in neutral
positionN can result in transmission damage
that is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.
Warning!
G
Getting out of your vehicle with the gear
selector lever not fully engaged in park
positionP is dangerous. Also, park
positionP alone is not intended to or capa-
ble of preventing your vehicle from moving,
possibly hitting people or objects.
Always set the parking brake in addition to
shifting to park positionP (
page 62).
When parked on an incline, turn the front
wheels towards the road curb.
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.
Warning!
G
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. Children could move the
gear selector lever from park positionP,
which could result in an accident and/or
serious personal injury.

198 Controls in detailGood visibilityFor information on windshield wipers, see
“Windshield wipers” (
page 58).
Headlamp cleaning system*
The button is located on the left side of the
dashboard.
1Headlamp cleaning button
Switch on the ignition (
page 37).

Press button1.
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 332).
Rear view mirrors
For more information on setting the rear
view mirrors, see “Mirrors” (
page 47).
Auto-dimming mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when


the ignition is switched on
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view mir-
ror
The rear view mirrors will not react if


reverse gear R is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
i
The headlamps will automatically be
cleaned when you have


switched on the headlamps
and


operated the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid fifteen times
When you switch off the ignition, the counter re-
sets.

199 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Warning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at the
sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun-
shade* is in raised position.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
(incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic con-
ditions and could cause an accident.
Warning!
G
In case of an accident, liquid electrolyte may
escape from the mirror housing if the mirror
glass breaks.
Electrolyte has an irritating effect. Do not al-
low the liquid to come into contact with
eyes, skin, clothing, or respiratory system.
In case it does, immediately flush affected
area with water, and seek medical help if
necessary.!
Electrolyte drops coming into contact with
the vehicle paint finish can be completely re-
moved only while in the liquid state by applying
plenty of water.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the
passenger-side exterior rear view mirror.
The mirror surface is convex (outwardly
curved surface for a wider field of view). Ob-
jects in mirror are closer than they appear.
Check your interior rear view mirror or
glance over your shoulder before changing
lanes.

203 Controls in detail
Good visibility
Rear window defroster
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep the battery
drain to a minimum, switch off the
defroster as soon as the rear window is
clear. The defroster is automatically
deactivated after approximately 6 to
17 minutes of operation depending on the
outside temperature.
Switch on the ignition (
page 37).Activating

Press button1 (
page 206) or
(
page 222) or buttonF
(page 207) or (
page 223) on the
respective climate control panel.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.Deactivating

Press buttonF or1 again.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before
driving. Visibility could otherwise be
impaired, endangering you and others.
!
If the rear window defroster switches off too
soon and the indicator lamp starts flashing, this
means that too many electrical consumers are
operating simultaneously and there is insuffi-
cient voltage in the battery. The system re-
sponds automatically by deactivating the rear
window defroster.
As soon as the battery has sufficient voltage, the
rear window defroster automatically turns itself
back on.