2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 page

483 Operation
Driving instructions
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.Mercedes-Benz recommends winter tires
(
page 530) with a minimum tread depth
of approximately
1/6in (4 mm) on all four
wheels for the winter season to ensure
normal balanced handling characteristics.
On packed snow, they can reduce your
stopping distance compared to summer
tires.
Stopping distance, however, is still consid-
erably greater than when the road is not
covered with snow or ice. Exercise appro-
priate caution.
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.
!
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.

484 OperationDriving instructionsTire 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
130 mph (210 km/h). The factory
equipped tires on your vehicle may have a
tire speed rating above the maximum
speed permitted by the electronic speed
limiter.
Make sure your tires have the required tire
speed rating as specified for your vehicle in
the “Technical data” section (
page 655),
for example when purchasing new tires.
For information on how to identify the tire
speed rating on a tire’s sidewall, see “Tire
size designation, load and speed rating”
(
page 518).
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
or DISTRONIC Plus* 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.
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 serious
personal injury and possible death, for you
and for others.
i
For information on driving with snow chains,
see “Snow chains” (
page 531).
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.

485 Operation
Driving instructions
Road salts and chemicals can adversely af-
fect 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 af-
ter driving is resumed.
For more information on winter driving, see
“Winter driving” (
page 530).
Standing water
Warning!
G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.
Warning!
G
If the vehicle becomes stuck in snow, make
sure that snow is kept clear of the exhaust
pipe and from around the vehicle with the
engine running. Otherwise, deadly carbon
monoxide (CO) gases may enter vehicle in-
terior resulting in unconsciousness and
death.
To assure sufficient fresh air ventilation,
open a window slightly on the side of the ve-
hicle not facing the wind.Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
signed to serve as an ice-warning device and
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose. In-
dicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road
surface is free of ice.
!
Do not drive through flooded areas or water
of unknown depth. Before driving through water,
determine its depth. Never accelerate before
driving into water. The bow wave could force wa-
ter into the engine and auxiliary equipment, thus
damaging them.
If you must drive through standing water, drive
slowly to prevent water from entering the pas-
senger compartment or the engine compart-
ment. Water in these areas could cause damage
to electrical components or wiring of the engine
or transmission, or could result in water being in-
gested by the engine through the air intake caus-
ing severe internal engine damage. Any such
damage is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz
Limited Warranty.

489 Operation
At the gas station
At the gas station
RefuelingThe fuel filler flap is located on the
right-hand side of the vehicle towards the
rear. Locking and unlocking the vehicle au-
tomatically locks and unlocks the fuel filler
flap.
1To open fuel filler flap
2To insert fuel filler cap
3Supplemental tire inflation pressure
information (
page 510)
4To insert fuel filler cap

Turn off the engine (
page 366).

Shift the automatic transmission to P
(page 367).

Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
Vehicles with SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO*:
Turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* button once
(page 366).

Open the driver’s door (this puts
the starter switch in position0,
same as with the SmartKey re-
moved from the starter switch). The
driver’s door then can be closed
again.

Open the fuel filler flap by pushing at
the point indicated by the arrow 1.
The fuel filler flap springs open.

Turn the fuel cap counterclockwise and
hold on to it until possible pressure is
released.
Warning!
G
Gasoline is highly flammable and poisonous.
It burns violently and can cause serious
injury. Never allow sparks, flame or smoking
materials near gasoline!
Do not allow fuel to come into contact with
skin or clothing. Direct skin contact with fu-
els and the inhalation of fuel vapors are
damaging to your health.
Switch off the engine before refueling.


490 OperationAt the gas station
Take off fuel filler cap and set it in di-
rection of arrow 2 in the recess on the
inside of fuel filler flap 4.
To prevent fuel vapors from escaping
into open air, fully insert filler nozzle
unit.

Only fill your tank until the filler nozzle
unit cuts out – do not top up or over-
fill.

Replace fuel cap by turning it clockwise
until it audibly engages.

Close the fuel filler flap.
Check regularly and before a long tripExample illustration from S 5501Coolant level
2Brake fluid
3Windshield washer and headlamp
cleaning system
Warning!
G
Overfilling of the fuel tank may create pres-
sure in the system which could cause a gas
discharge. This could cause the gas to spray
back out when removing the fuel pump noz-
zle, which could cause personal injury.
i
Only use premium unleaded gasoline with a
minimum Posted Octane Rating of 91 (average of
96 RON/86 MON).
Information on gasoline quality can normally be
found on the fuel pump.
More information on gasoline can be found in the
Factory Approved Service Products pamphlet.
i
Leaving the engine running and the fuel cap
open can cause the yellow engine malfunction
indicator lamp ± to illuminate.
For more information, see the “Practical hints”
section (
page 547).
i
Opening the hood (
page 492).


491 Operation
At the gas station
Windshield washer system and head-
lamp cleaning system
For more information on refilling the wash-
er reservoir, see “Windshield washer sys-
tem and headlamp cleaning system”
(page 498).
Coolant
For more information on coolant, see
“Coolant level” (
page 497) and see “Fu-
els, coolants, lubricants, etc.”
(
page 661).Brake fluid
For information on brake fluid, see “Brake
fluid” (
page 663)
Engine oil level
For more information on engine oil, see
“Engine oil” (
page 494).Vehicle lighting
Check function and cleanliness. For more
information on replacing light bulbs, see
“Replacing bulbs” (
page 621).
For more information, see “Lighting”
(
page 342).
Tire inflation pressure
For information on tire inflation pressure,
see “Checking tire inflation pressure”
(page 511).
!
If you find that the brake fluid in the brake
fluid reservoir has fallen to the minimum mark or
below, have the brake system checked for brake
pad thickness and leaks immediately. Notify an
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
Do not add brake fluid as this will not solve the
problem. For more information, see “Practical
hints” (page 545).

494 OperationEngine compartmentEngine oil
The amount of oil your engine needs will
depend on a number of factors, including
driving style. Higher oil consumption can
occur when

the vehicle is new


the vehicle is driven frequently at
higher engine speeds
Engine oil consumption checks should only
be made after the vehicle break-in period.
Checking engine oil level with the con-
trol system (S 600)
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
stationary for at least 5 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 315).

Press( or& to select the menu
“Service”.

Press$ or% to select “Engine
oil level”.

Press#.
The following message is seen in the multi-
function display:
Engine oil level
Measuring nowCorrect measurement
only if vehicle is level
One of the following messages will
subsequently appear in the multifunction
display:


Engine oil level
OK


Add 1.0 qts. engine oil
at next refueling
(Canada: 1.0 l)


Add 1.5 qts. engine oil
at next refueling
(Canada: 1.5 l)


Add 2.0 qts. engine oil
at next refueling
(Canada: 2.0 l)
!
Do not use any special lubricant additives,
as these may damage the drive assemblies. Us-
ing special additives not approved by
Mercedes-Benz may cause damage not covered
by the Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
More information on this subject is available at
any Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
The menu overview can be found on
(
page 243).
i
If you want to interrupt the checking proce-
dure, press button( or& on the multi-
function steering wheel.

495 Operation
Engine compartment

If necessary, add engine oil.
For adding engine oil (
page 496).
For more information on engine oil, see the
“Technical data” section (page 661) and
(
page 663).
Other display messages
If the SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO* start/
stop button is not in position 2, the follow-
ing message will appear:
For engine oil level,
turn on ignition

Switch on the ignition (
page 315).
If you see the message
Waiting period for,
engine oil level
not complete

If engine is at operating temperature,
wait 5 minutes before repeating check
procedure.

If engine is not at operating tempera-
ture yet, wait 30 minutes before
repeating check procedure.
If you see the message
Engine oil level
Not when engine on

Turn off the engine.

If the engine is at operating tempera-
ture, wait 5 minutes before checking
oil.

If the engine is not at operating temper-
ature yet, you must wait 30 minutes
before checking oil.
If there is excess engine oil with the engine
at operating temperature, the following
message will appear:
Engine oil level
Reduce oil level

Have excess oil siphoned or drained
off. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.For more information on messages in the
multifunction display concerning engine
oil, see the “Practical hints” section
(
page 602).
Checking engine oil level with the oil
dipstick (S 550)
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 5 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
!
Excess oil must be siphoned or drained off.
It could cause damage to the engine and catalyt-
ic converter (gasoline engine) not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.