2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 Parking

416 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe red 10 in (0.25 m) guide line4, the
yellow 39 in (1 m) guide line3 and the
yellow 13 ft (4 m) guide line2 correspond
to the relevant distance from the rear of
the vehicle. The yellow and blue guide lines
for vehicle width1 show the required
width for the vehicle.
5Blue guide lines for straight driving
6Symbol for “reverse parking”
7Yellow and red guide lines for cornering
When you turn the steering wheel out of
the straight-ahead position, the positions
of the yellow and red guide lines7
change depending on the steering wheel’s
position. The space required by the vehicle
for reverse cornering is indicated by yellow
and red guide lines7.Backing in straight

Switch on the ignition (
page 315).

Switch on COMAND (
page 79).

Move gear selector lever to position R
(reverse gear).

Use the COMAND controller
(page 82) to select “reverse parking”
function 6.
You will see the guide lines for reverse
parking on the COMAND display.
The desired parking space is wide
enough if nothing is inside the yellow
and blue guide lines1 of your intend-
ed driving path or protrudes into this
area.

Back in straight carefully.
Warning!
G
Please note that objects which do not touch
the ground, such as the bumper of a vehicle
parked behind you, a trailer hitch, or the
back of a truck, may appear to be further
away than they actually are. In this case, you
should not use the guide lines to judge dis-
tance as the use of the guide lines to judge
distance increases the risk of impacting the
objects.
Even when the object you approach is di-
rectly on the ground (and nothing on the ob-
ject extends above the ground beyond the
object's contours directly touching the
ground) and no objects that do not touch
the ground, such as the bumper of a vehicle
parked behind you, a trailer hitch, or the
back of a truck are in the path, do not ap-
proach the object on the ground any closer
than red guide line4.
i
The Dynamic Rear View Monitor must be ac-
tivated in the instrument cluster control system
in order for it to be switched on (
page 253).
!
While parking, do not approach any obsta-
cles closer than indicated by red guide line4.

417 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Backing in at any angle
Switch on the ignition (
page 315).

Switch on COMAND (
page 79).

Move gear selector lever to position R
(reverse gear).

Use the COMAND controller
(page 82) to select “reverse parking”
function6.
You will see the guide lines for reverse
parking on the COMAND display.

Turn steering wheel so that the yellow
and red guide lines for cornering7 are
pointing towards the desired parking
space.
The desired parking space is wide
enough if nothing is inside yellow and
red guide lines7 of your intended
driving path or protrudes into this area.

Back in carefully.

When the blue guide lines5 for
straight driving lie parallel inside the
desired parking space, straighten the
steering wheel for straight driving.

Back in enough to leave sufficient free
space around the vehicle.
Parallel parking
This function assists you when you wish to
park in a row, e.g. in a parking place paral-
lel to the road.

Stop the vehicle

at a distance of approximately
three feet (one meter) parallel to
the vehicle that is in front of the de-
sired parking space.


in such a way that the front of the
parked vehicle is parallel to your
rear wheel.

Switch on COMAND (
page 79).

Move gear selector lever to position R
(reverse gear).
1Vertical blue guide line
2Symbol for “parallel parking”
i
The Dynamic Rear View Monitor must be ac-
tivated in the instrument cluster control system
in order for it to be switched on (
page 253).
!
While parking, do not approach any obsta-
cles closer than indicated by red guide line4.
i
The Dynamic Rear View Monitor must be ac-
tivated in the instrument cluster control system
in order for it to be switched on (
page 253).


418 Controls in detailDriving systems
Use the COMAND controller
(page 82) to select “parallel parking”
function2.
You will see the guide lines for parallel
parking on the COMAND display.

Back up carefully parallel to parked car
until the respective vertical blue guide
line1 is at the end of the parked vehi-
cle next to you.

Stop the vehicle.1Vertical blue guide line
3Extended blue guide line
4Blue guide lines for vehicle contour

With the vehicle at a standstill, turn
steering wheel in parking direction until
blue guide lines3 and 4 appear and
the rectangle formed by guide lines 4
shows the desired parking position. If
another vehicle is located next to you,
the extended blue guide line4 must
just touch the corresponding vertical
blue guide line1.
Warning!
G
If the respective vertical guide line1 is not
yet located at the end of the parked vehicle
and you are already turning into the parking
space, you could collide with the parked ve-
hicle. Stop the parking procedure immedi-
ately. Pull out of the parking space and start
the parking procedure over again.
i
If an obstacle is inside of or protrudes into
the area marked by blue guide lines4 for the
vehicle, the parking space is too small for the ve-
hicle.
i
If you turn the steering wheel too far, the
message “Steering wheel turned too far. Please
adjust steering wheel” appears on the COMAND
display. Turn the steering wheel back until the
message disappears and the extended blue
guide line4 intersects with vertical blue guide
line1.
If you back up using the wrong wheel angle, the
following appears in the COMAND display:
“Steering wheel turned too far. Park Assist dis-
abled.”. Pull out of the parking space and start
the parking procedure over again.


419 Controls in detail
Driving systems
5Bent blue guide line
Back up with the set wheel angle.
The guide lines in the COMAND display
disappear. After a short distance, the
bent blue guide line5 appears.

Back up until bent guide line5 inter-
sects the edge of the parking space,
e.g. the curb.

Stop the vehicle.
6Yellow and red guide lines for cornering
7Blue guide line for straight driving

With the vehicle at a standstill, turn
steering wheel as far as it will go in the
opposite direction.
The guide lines for straight driving7
and cornering6 appear in the
COMAND display.

Back up using the set wheel angle until
blue guide line7 for straight driving is
parallel to the edge of the parking
space, e.g. the curb.

Now straighten out steering wheel and
back up until you still have just enough
room behind the vehicle.
While doing so, observe
Parktronic* (
page 405) or Park As-
sist* (
page 409) warning indicators.
i
If you turn the steering wheel while backing
up, the following appears in the COMAND dis-
play: “The steering wheel position has been
changed. Park Assist disabled.”. Pull out of the
parking space and start the parking procedure
over again.

456 Controls in detailUseful featuresRear window sunshade
The switches are on the rear doors.
1Opening
2Closing
You can also operate the rear window sun-
shade via COMAND (
page 227) or via
the favorite button (
page 216).

Switch on the ignition (
page 315).

Press upper part 1 of the rocker
switch briefly to extend the sunshade.

Press lower part 2 of the rocker
switch briefly to retract the sunshade.
Ashtrays
Center console ashtray
1Button for disengaging ashtray
2Cover plate
i
Operating the rear window sunshade from
the rear is not possible if you activate the over-
ride switch (
page 67).
i
If you operate the rear window sunshade via
COMAND or via the favorite button, this takes
precedence over the rear window sunshade but-
tons on the rear doors.
i
The rear window sunshade is switched off at
temperatures below -4°F (-20°C).
Warning!
G
Remove ashtray only with vehicle standing
still. Set the parking brake to secure vehicle
from movement. Set automatic transmis-
sion toP. With the automatic transmission
set toP, turn off the engine.

480 OperationDriving instructionsBrakesTo help prevent brake disk corrosion after
driving on wet road surfaces (particularly
salted roads), it is advisable to brake the
vehicle with considerable force prior to
parking. The heat generated serves to dry
the brakes.
If your brake system is normally only sub-
jected to moderate loads, you should occa-
sionally test the effectiveness of the
brakes by applying above-normal braking
pressure at higher speeds. This will also
enhance the grip of the brake pads.
Refer to the description of the Brake Assist
System (BAS) (
page 71).If the parking brake is released and the
brake warning lamp in the instrument clus-
ter stays on and there is no audible warn-
ing (EBP), the brake fluid level in the
reservoir is too low.
Brake pad wear or a leak in the system may
be the reason for low brake fluid in the res-
ervoir.
Have the brake system inspected immedi-
ately. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
All checks and service work on the brake
system should be carried out by qualified
technicians only. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Only install brake pads and brake fluid
recommended by Mercedes-Benz.
Warning!
G
After driving in heavy rain for some time
without applying the brakes or through wa-
ter deep enough to wet brake components,
the first braking action may be somewhat
reduced and increased pedal pressure may
be necessary to obtain expected braking ef-
fect. Maintain a safe distance from vehicles
in front.
Resting your foot on the brake pedal will
cause excessive and premature wear of the
brake pads.
It can also result in the brakes overheating,
thereby significantly reducing their effec-
tiveness. It may not be possible to stop the
vehicle in sufficient time to avoid an acci-
dent.
Warning!
G
Make sure not to endanger any other road
users when carrying out these braking ma-
neuvers.

481 Operation
Driving instructions
After hard braking, it is advisable to drive
on for some time, rather than immediately
park, so that the air stream can cool down
the brakes faster.
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
drivetrain which is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Parking
Warning!
G
If other than recommended brake pads are
installed, or other than recommended brake
fluid is used, the braking properties of the
vehicle can be degraded to an extent that
safe braking is substantially impaired. This
could result in an accident.!
When driving down long and steep grades,
relieve the load on the brakes by shifting into a
lower gear to use the engine’s braking power.
This helps prevent overheating of the brakes and
reduces brake pad wear.
When using the engine’s braking power, a drive
wheel may not spin for an extended period of
time, e.g. on slippery road surfaces. This 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.
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 as a re-
sult of inadvertent vehicle movement, be-
fore turning off the engine and leaving the
vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Firmly depress parking brake pedal.


Shift the automatic transmission toP.


Slowly release brake pedal.


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


482 OperationDriving instructions
Tires
Treadwear indicators (TWI) are required by
law. These indicators are located in six
places on the tread circumference and be-
come visible at a tread depth of approxi-
mately
1/16
in (1.6 mm), at which point
the tire is considered worn and should be
replaced.The treadwear indicator appears as a solid
band across the tread.
Specified tire inflation pressures must be
maintained. This applies particularly if the
tires are subject to extreme operating con-
ditions (e.g. high speeds, heavy loads, high
ambient temperatures).


Turn the SmartKey to starter switch po-
sition 0 and remove the SmartKey from
the starter switch, or press the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(page 317).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO
* with you and lock the
vehicle when leaving.
!
Set the parking brake whenever parking or
leaving the vehicle. In addition, shift the auto-
matic transmission to P.
When parking on hills, always turn front wheels
towards the road curb.
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-
tio n to an a rea whic h is a s afe d ista nc e fro m
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.
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
1/16 in
(1.6 mm), we recommend that you do not al-
low your tires to wear down to that level. As
tread depth approaches
1/8 in (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.