2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL-Class power steering

Contents
Seat ventilation* .......................... 376
Head restraints............................. 376
Steering wheel ................................... 379
Steering wheel adjustment........... 379
Heated steering wheel* ............... 380
Mirrors ............................................... 381
Interior rear view mirror ............... 381
Exterior rear view mirrors ............. 381
Power folding exterior rear view
mirrors ......................................... 382
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors ... 383
Activating exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................. 384
Memory function................................ 385
Storing positions into memory ..... 386
Recalling positions from memory . 386
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 387
Fastening the seat belts..................... 388
Proper use of seat belts ............... 390
Lighting .............................................. 391
Exterior lamp switch ..................... 391
High beam .................................... 395
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 395Corner-illuminating lamps ............ 395
Hazard warning flasher ................ 397
Interior lighting............................. 398
Courtesy lighting .......................... 399
Door entry lamps ......................... 399
Trunk lamp ................................... 399
Windshield wipers .............................. 400
Switching on/off windshield
wipers .......................................... 400
Intermittent wiping....................... 401
Single wipe................................... 401
Wiping with windshield
washer fluid.................................. 401
Power windows .................................. 402
Opening and closing
power windows ............................ 402
Summer opening feature.............. 404
Convenience closing feature ........ 404
Driving and parking............................ 406
Starting the engine....................... 406
Driving off .................................... 409
Turn signals .................................. 410
Problems while driving ................. 411
Parking ......................................... 412
Turning off the engine .................. 415
Releasing seat belts ..................... 416Automatic transmission ..................... 417
Gear selector lever....................... 417
Shifting procedure ....................... 420
Transmission positions ................ 421
Driving tips................................... 424
Gear ranges ................................. 426
Automatic shift program .............. 427
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 428
Manual shift program (CL 63 AMG
and CL 65 AMG only) ................... 430
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 433
Instrument cluster ............................. 434
Adjusting instrument cluster
display illumination ...................... 434
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 435
Tachometer .................................. 435
Outside temperature indicator ..... 436
Fuel gauge ................................... 436
Driving systems ................................. 437
Cruise control .............................. 437
DISTRONIC Plus* ......................... 443
Active Body Control (ABC) ........... 461
Parktronic system* ...................... 463
Park Assist* ................................. 467
Advanced Parking Guidance* ...... 471

66 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsBraking
At the instant one of the wheels is about to
lock up, a slight pulsation can be felt in the
brake pedal, indicating that the ABS is in
the regulating mode. 
Keep firm and steady pressure on the
brake pedal while experiencing the pul-
sation.
Continuous, steady brake pedal pressure
yields the advantages provided by the ABS,
namely braking power and the ability to
steer the vehicle.
The pulsating brake pedal can be an indica-
tion of hazardous road conditions and
functions as a reminder to take extra care
while driving.
Emergency brake maneuver

Keep continuous full pressure on the
brake pedal.For more information, see “Practical hints”
(
page 608).
Adaptive Brake
Adaptive Brake provides a high level of
braking safety as well as increased braking
comfort. It is coupled with ABS, ESP
® and
BAS. Adaptive Brake takes driver and vehi-
cle characteristics into consideration, thus
achieving an optimal braking effect.
Warning!
G
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the BAS,
BAS Plus* and ESP
® are also switched off.
When the ABS is malfunctioning, the wheels
may lock during hard braking, reducing
steering capability and extending the brak-
ing distance.
Warning!
G
The ABS cannot prevent the natural laws of
physics from acting on the vehicle, nor can
it increase braking or steering efficiency
beyond that afforded by the condition of the
vehicle brakes and tires or the traction
afforded. The ABS cannot prevent acci-
dents, including those resulting from exces-
sive speed in turns, following another
vehicle too closely, or hydroplaning.
Only a safe, attentive, and skillful driver can
prevent accidents.
The capabilities of an ABS equipped vehicle
must never be exploited in a reckless or dan-
gerous manner which could jeopardize the
user’s safety or the safety of others.

351 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Starter switch positions
Seats
Steering wheel
Mirrors
Memory function
Fastening the seat belts
Lighting
Windshield wipers
Power windowsDriving and parking
Automatic transmission
Instrument cluster
Driving systems
Air vents
Automatic climate control
Trunk
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Loading and storing
Useful features

369 Controls in detailSeats
You can adjust the lumbar support
(CL 550) for driver and front passenger, or
operate the drive-dynamic multicontour
front seats* using COMAND (
page 276).
Front power seat adjustment
Example driver’s door1Head restraint height (
page 377)
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat cushion depth
5Seat fore and aft
6Seat backrest tilt

Seat height: Press the switch up or
down in the direction of arrow2.

Seat cushion tilt: Press the switch up
or down in the direction of
arrow3until your upper legs are
lightly supported.

Seat cushion depth: Press the switch
forward or backward in the direction of
arrow4 until your legs are supported
comfortably.
Warning!
G
According to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions than in the front seat-
ing position. Thus, we strongly recommend
that children be placed in the rear seats
whenever possible. Regardless of seating
position, children 12 years old and under
must be seated and properly secured in an
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 57).
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle and
the child is not properly secured in the child
restraint.
i
If PRE-SAFE
® has been activated, the front
passenger’s seat will be moved to a more favor-
able seat position.
i
The memory function (
page 385) lets you
store the settings for the seat positions together
with the settings for the steering wheel and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
!
When moving the seat, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats; oth-
erwise, you could damage the seats.


372 Controls in detailSeats
For information on additional convenience
features permitting easy entry and exit,
see “Easy-entry/exit feature”
(page 373).
Warning!
G
The seat belts provide protection only with
the backrest locked in place. Therefore, the
backrest must be locked in place with the
vehicle in motion. Do not drive the vehicle
when the backrest is not locked in place.
If the warning message:
Lock Seat Backrest
Front Right
or
Lock Seat Backrest
Front Left
is displayed in the multifunction display,
then the respective backrest is not engaged
in its lock. Carefully slow down, and drive
with caution to an area which is in a safe dis-
tance from the roadway. Always provide suf-
ficient room behind the backrest and fold
the backrest all the way back until it locks in
place.
The warning message is no longer displayed
as soon as the backrest is locked in place. If
both backrests are locked in place and the
warning message is still displayed, have the
system checked at an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center immediately.
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.
The power seats can also be operated with
the driver’s or passenger door open. Do not
leave children unattended in the vehicle or
with access to an unlocked vehicle. A child’s
unsupervised access to a vehicle could re-
sult in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.
Never place hands under seat or near any
moving parts during a seat adjustment pro-
cedure.
!
The automatic seat slide is provided with a
safety feature.
The automatic process is interrupted if the back-
rest of the sliding seat is pushed against an oc-
cupant or object. The seat will slide forward and
stop.
Investigate and correct the cause of interruption.
Now use memory button (
page 386) or seat
adjustment switch (
page 369) to bring the
seat into the desired position.
When folding the backrest forward from a re-
clined position, and then folding it back, the
backrest stops in a more upright position for the
safety of any rear-seat passenger. Adjust the
backrest until your arms are slightly angled when
holding the steering wheel (
page 369).


380 Controls in detailSteering wheelHeated steering wheel*
The steering wheel heating warms up the
leather area of the steering wheel.
1Switching on
2Switching off
3Indicator lamp
Switch on the ignition (
page 365).

Switching on: T urn s witc h at t he tip of
stalk in the direction of arrow1.
The steering wheel is heated. Indicator
lamp3 comes on.

Switching off: T u r n s w i t c h a t t h e t i p o f
stalk in the direction of arrow2.
The steering wheel heating is turned
off. Indicator lamp3 goes out.
i
The steering wheel heating will not switch
on, when the temperature of the vehicle interior
is above 86°F (30°C).
i
Indicator lamp3 flashes or goes out


in case of power surge or undervoltage


in case of a steering wheel heating
malfunction
i
The steering wheel heating switches off
automatically:


when you remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


on vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*, when you
switch off the ignition (
page 365) and
open the driver’s door


when the temperature of the vehicle interior
is above 86°F (30°C)


after approximately 30 minutes

386 Controls in detailMemory functionThe following settings are stored when us-
ing the buttons on the passenger door:

Front passenger seat, head restraint
high and backrest position


Lumbar support (CL 550)


Drive-dynamic multicontour seat*:
activation/deactivation
MMemory button
1 2 3Memory position buttons
Storing positions into memory
Adjust the seat (
page 368) to the de-
sired position.

On the driver’s side: adjust the steering
wheel (
page 379) and the exterior
rear view mirrors (
page 381) to the
desired position.

Press memory buttonM.

Release memory buttonM and press
one of the memory position buttons
1,2or3 within 3 seconds.
All the settings are stored at the
selected position.
Recalling positions from memory
Press and hold one of the memory
position buttons1,2or3 until the
seat, steering wheel and exterior rear
view mirrors have completely moved to
the stored positions.
!
Do not operate the power seats using a
memory position button if the seat backrest is in
an excessively reclined position. Doing so could
cause damage to front or rear seats.
First move seat backrest to an upright position.
i
Releasing the memory position button
immediately stops movement to the stored
positions.
The drive-dynamic multicontour front seat*
and/or lumbar support (CL 550) will continue to
be adjusted.

412 Controls in detailDriving and parkingParking
Electronic parking brakeWarning!
G
With the engine not running, there is no
power assistance for the brake and the
steering systems. In this case, it is impor-
tant to keep in mind that a considerably
higher degree of effort is necessary to brake
and steer the vehicle.
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 vehicle movement, before turning off
the engine and leaving the vehicle always:

Keep right foot on brake pedal.


Engage electronic parking brake.


Shift the automatic transmission to park
position P.


Slowly release brake pedal.


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


Turn the SmartKey to starter switch
position0 and remove, or press
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(page 366).


Take the SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* with you and lock vehicle
when leaving.
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 release the
electronic parking brake and/or shift the
automatic transmission out of park
positionP, either of which could result in an
accident and/or serious personal injury.