2007 MERCEDES-BENZ S550 Fluid

ContentsStarter switch positions ..................... 315
SmartKey ..................................... 315
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*....... 316
Seats.................................................. 318
Seat adjustment ........................... 318
Seat heating* ............................... 322
Seat ventilation* .......................... 323
Head restraints............................. 324
Multicontour seats*, rear ............. 327
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 328
Steering wheel ................................... 330
Steering wheel adjustment........... 330
Heated steering wheel* ............... 331
Mirrors ............................................... 332
Interior rear view mirror ............... 332
Exterior rear view mirrors ............. 332
Power folding exterior rear view
mirrors ......................................... 333
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors ... 334
Activating exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................. 335
Memory function................................ 336
Storing positions into memory ..... 337
Recalling positions from memory . 337
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 338Fastening the seat belts .................... 339
Proper use of seat belts ............... 341
Seat belt height adjustment ......... 341
Lighting.............................................. 342
Exterior lamp switch..................... 342
Combination switch ..................... 346
Corner-illuminating lamps ............ 347
Hazard warning flasher ................ 348
Interior lighting............................. 348
Courtesy lighting .......................... 350
Door entry lamps ......................... 350
Trunk lamp ................................... 350
Windshield wipers.............................. 351
Switching on/off windshield
wipers .......................................... 351
Intermittent wiping....................... 352
Single wipe................................... 352
Wiping with windshield washer
fluid .............................................. 352
Power windows.................................. 353
Opening and closing power
windows ....................................... 353
Rear side window sunshades* ..... 355
Summer opening feature.............. 355
Convenience closing feature ........ 356Driving and parking ........................... 359
Starting the engine ...................... 359
Driving off .................................... 361
Turn signals.................................. 362
Problems while driving ................. 362
Parking......................................... 363
Turning off the engine .................. 365
Releasing seat belts ..................... 366
Automatic transmission..................... 367
Gear selector lever....................... 367
Shifting procedure ....................... 369
Automatic transmission positions 370
Gear ranges ................................. 372
Driving tips................................... 373
Automatic shift program .............. 374
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 375
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 377
Instrument cluster ............................. 378
Adjusting instrument cluster and
COMAND display illumination ...... 378
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 378
Tachometer.................................. 379
Outside temperature indicator ..... 379
Fuel gauge ................................... 379

ContentsOperation......................................... 477
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) ......... 478
Driving instructions ............................ 479
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 479
Drinking and driving ..................... 479
Pedals .......................................... 479
Power assistance ......................... 479
Brakes .......................................... 480
Driving off..................................... 481
Parking ......................................... 481
Tires ............................................. 482
Hydroplaning ................................ 483
Tire traction .................................. 483
Tire speed rating .......................... 484
Winter driving instructions ........... 484
Standing water ............................. 485
Passenger compartment .............. 486
Driving abroad .............................. 486
Control and operation of radio
transmitters.................................. 486
Catalytic converter ....................... 487
Emission control........................... 488
Coolant temperature .................... 488At the gas station .............................. 489
Refueling ...................................... 489
Check regularly and before
a long trip ..................................... 490
Engine compartment ......................... 492
Hood ............................................ 492
Engine oil ..................................... 494
Transmission fluid level ................ 497
Active Body Control* (ABC*)
fluid level...................................... 497
Coolant level ................................ 497
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 498
Tires and wheels ................................ 500
Important guidelines .................... 500
Tire care and maintenance ........... 501
Direction of rotation ..................... 503
Loading the vehicle ...................... 503
Recommended tire inflation
pressure ....................................... 509
Checking tire inflation pressure ... 511
Tire labeling.................................. 518
Load identification ....................... 521DOT, Tire Identification Number
(TIN) ............................................. 522
Maximum tire load ....................... 523
Maximum tire inflation pressure .. 523
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) ............. 524
Tire ply material ........................... 525
Tire and loading terminology........ 526
Rotating tires ............................... 529
Winter driving .................................... 530
Winter tires .................................. 530
Snow chains................................. 531
Maintenance...................................... 532
Maintenance service indicator
message ...................................... 532
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator display .............. 533
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator .......................... 533
Vehicle care....................................... 534
Cleaning and care of vehicle ........ 534

ContentsTechnical data.................................. 649
Parts service ...................................... 650
Warranty coverage ............................. 651
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet...................... 651
Identification labels............................ 652
Layout of poly-V-belt drive ................. 653
S 550 ........................................... 653
S 600 ........................................... 653
Engine ................................................ 654
Rims and tires .................................... 655
Same size tires ............................. 656
Mixed size tires ............................ 657
Minispare wheel ........................... 658
Electrical system................................ 659
Main dimensions and weights............ 660
Main dimensions .......................... 660
Weights ........................................ 660Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. ......... 661
Capacities .................................... 661
Engine oils.................................... 663
Engine oil additives ...................... 663
Air conditioning refrigerant .......... 663
Brake fluid .................................... 663
Premium unleaded gasoline ......... 664
Fuel requirements ........................ 664
Gasoline additives ........................ 665
Coolants....................................... 665
Windshield and headlamp
washer system ............................. 668
Technical terms............................... 669Index................................................. 679

346 Controls in detailLightingLocator lighting and night security illu-
mination
Locator lighting and night security illumi-
nation are described in the COMAND vehi-
cle section under “Setting locator lighting”
(page 221) and “Setting night security il-
lumination” (
page 220).
Headlamp cleaning system
1Headlamp washer button

Switch on the ignition (
page 315).

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 498).
Combination switch
1High beam
2High beam flasher
Switching on high beams
Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionB or to*
(page 342).

Push the combination switch in the
direction1.
The high beam indicatorA on the
instrument cluster comes on.
i
The headlamps are automatically cleaned if,
at the same time,


the engine is running


the lights are switched on


the windshield wipers have wiped the wind-
shield with washer fluid 15 times
When you switch off the ignition or press
button1, the automatic function is reset and
will start counting the next time from the begin-
ning.

351 Controls in detail
Windshield wipers
Windshield wipers
Combination switch1Switching on windshield wipers
2Single wipe
Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Switch on the ignition (
page 315).
Switching on/off windshield wipers
Turn the combination switch to the de-
sired position depending on the inten-
sity of the rain.
MWindshield wipers off
USlow intermittent wiping
(rain sensor operation low sen-
sitivity)
VFast intermittent wiping
(rain sensor operation low sen-
sitivity)
uSlow continuous wiping
tFast continuous wiping
!
If the windshield wipers leave smears on the
windshield after the car has been driven through
an automatic car wash, then wax or other resi-
due is on the windshield. Shortly after washing
the car in an automatic car wash, clean the wind-
shield with windshield washer fluid
(
page 352).
!
Do not operate the wipers when the wind-
shield is dry. Dust that accumulates on a wind-
shield might scratch the glass and/or damage
the wiper blades when wiping occurs on a dry
windshield. If it is necessary to operate the wip-
ers in dry weather conditions, always operate
the wipers with windshield washer fluid
(
page 352).
!
If anything blocks the windshield wipers
(leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off immediate-
ly.


For safety reasons, stop the vehicle in a safe
location,

turn off the engine by turning the
SmartKey to position0 and withdraw
SmartKey from starter switch
or


turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(page 317) and open the driver’s door
(with the driver’s door open, starter
switch is in position0, same as with
SmartKey removed from starter switch)
before attempting to remove any blockage.


Remove blockage.


Turn the windshield wipers on again.If the windshield wipers fail to function at all in
combination switch position u,


set the combination switch to the next high-
er wiper speed


have the windshield wipers checked at the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center

352 Controls in detailWindshield wipersIntermittent wiping
Only switch on intermittent wiping under
wet weather conditions or in the presence
of precipitation.
Set the wiper switch to position U
or V.The wipers move across the wind-
shield. Afterward, the wiping intervals
are determined by the wetness of the
windshield.
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are automatically controlled by the
rain sensor.
Single wipe
Press the combination switch briefly in
the direction of arrow2.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.
Wiping with windshield washer fluid
Press the combination switch in the di-
rection of arrow2 past the resistance
point.
The windshield wiper operates with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system”
(
page 498).
i
When the windshield wipers are switched on
and you brake the vehicle to a stop, the wipers
operate more slowly.
!
Do not leave windshield wipers in intermit-
tent setting when the vehicle is taken to an auto-
matic car wash or during windshield cleaning.
Wipers will operate in the presence of water
sprayed on the windshield, and windshield wip-
ers may be damaged as a result.
!
If you have set intermittent wiping, dirt on
the surface of the rain sensor or optical effects
may cause the windshield wipers to wipe in an
undesired fashion. This could then damage the
windshield wiper blades or scratch the windows.
You should therefore switch off the windshield
wipers when weather conditions are dry.
i
Intermittent wiping is interrupted when the
vehicle is at a standstill and a front door is
opened. This protects persons getting into or out
of the vehicle from being sprayed.
Intermittent wiping will be continued when


all doors are closed and the automatic trans-
mission is set to positionD orR
or


the wiper setting is changed using the com-
bination switch
i
To prevent smears on the windshield, wipe
with windshield washer fluid every now and then
even when it is raining.

378 Controls in detailInstrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 28).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you:


open a door


switch on the ignition (
page 315)


switch on the exterior lamps
The language setting for the multifunction
display can be changed via COMAND
(
page 79).Adjusting instrument cluster and
COMAND display illumination
1To adjust instrument cluster illumina-
tion and multifunction display
2To adjust COMAND display

Brightening illumination: Turn
knob1 or2 clockwise.

Dimming illumination: Turn knob1
or2 counterclockwise.
Coolant temperature gauge
Warning!
G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction dis-
play is inoperative.
As a result, you will not be able to see infor-
mation about your driving conditions, such
as speed or outside temperature, warning/
indicator lamps, malfunction/warning mes-
sages or the failure of any systems. Driving
characteristics may be impaired.
If you must continue to drive, please do so
with added caution. Visit an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.i
The instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to suit am-
bient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will also be
adjusted automatically when you switch on the
vehicle’s exterior lamps.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is overheated
can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously
burned.


Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out of
the vehicle and do not stand near the vehicle
until the engine has cooled down.

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.