2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CL550 brake

Contents
Introduction....................................... 13
Product information ............................. 13
Operator’s Manual ............................... 14
Service and warranty information .. 14
Important notice for California retail
buyers and lessees of
Mercedes-Benz automobiles .......... 15
Maintenance .................................. 16
Roadside Assistance ...................... 16
Change of address or ownership.... 16
Operating your vehicle outside the
USA or Canada............................... 17
Where to find it .................................... 18
Symbols ............................................... 19
Operating safety .................................. 20
Proper use of the vehicle ............... 20
Problems with your vehicle .................. 21
Reporting safety defects...................... 22
Reporting safety defects ................ 22
Vehicle data recording......................... 23
Information regarding electronic
recording devices........................... 23
At a glance.......................................... 25
Exterior view ......................................... 26
Cockpit ................................................. 28
Instrument cluster ................................ 30
Control systems ................................... 32
Storage compartments ......................... 34
Center console ..................................... 36
Overhead control panel ........................ 37
Driver’s door control panel ................... 38Safety and Security............................ 39
Occupant safety ................................... 40
Air bags........................................... 42
Occupant Classification System ..... 48
Seat belts........................................ 53
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®).................................... 56
Children in the vehicle .................... 57
Blocking of rear side
window operation ........................... 63Panic alarm .......................................... 64
Activating........................................ 64
Deactivating.................................... 64
Driving safety systems ......................... 65
ABS ................................................. 65
Adaptive Brake ............................... 66
Adaptive Brake Lights (CL 600 and
CL 65 AMG, USA only) .................... 67
BAS ................................................. 67
BAS Plus* ....................................... 68
EBP ................................................. 70
ESP
®............................................... 70
PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (vehicles with
DISTRONIC Plus* only) ................... 75
Anti-theft systems ................................ 79
Immobilizer ..................................... 79
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 79
Canceling the alarm ........................ 80

Contents
Rear View Camera*...................... 477
Night View Assist* ....................... 481
Blind Spot Assist* ........................ 485
Air vents ............................................ 488
Opening and closing air vents ...... 490
Ventilated storage compartment . 490
Automatic climate control ................. 491
Deactivating climate
control system ............................. 493
Operating climate control system
in automatic mode ....................... 493
Setting temperature ..................... 494
Adjusting air volume .................... 494
Front defroster ............................. 494
Rear window defroster ................. 496
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL
(USA only) .................................... 496
Air recirculation mode.................. 496
Residual engine heat and
ventilation .................................... 498
Trunk ................................................. 500
Opening trunk .............................. 500
Closing trunk................................ 501
Trunk emergency release ............. 504
Valet locking ................................ 505Power tilt/sliding sunroof................... 506
Opening and closing power
tilt/sliding sunroof ........................ 506
Synchronizing ............................... 508
Loading and storing ............................ 509
Loading instructions ..................... 509
Storage compartments ................. 509
Cup holders .................................. 513
Trunk ............................................ 514
Useful features ................................... 516
Sun visors ..................................... 516
Ashtray ......................................... 516
Cigarette lighter ............................ 517
Floormats*.................................... 518
Telephone* ................................... 519
Tele Aid ......................................... 522
Garage door opener ...................... 530
Infrared reflecting windshield ....... 536
Operation.......................................... 537
The first 1000 miles (1500 km) .......... 538
Driving instructions ............................ 539
Drive sensibly – save fuel ............. 539
Drinking and driving...................... 539
Pedals ........................................... 539
Power assistance .......................... 539
Brakes .......................................... 540
Driving off ..................................... 542
Parking ......................................... 542
Tires.............................................. 543
Hydroplaning ................................ 543
Tire traction .................................. 544
Tire speed rating ........................... 544
Winter driving instructions ............ 545
Standing water ............................. 546
Passenger compartment............... 547
Driving abroad .............................. 547
Control and operation of
radio transmitters ......................... 547
Catalytic converter ....................... 548
Emission control ........................... 548
Coolant temperature .................... 549

Contents
Flat tire .............................................. 696
Preparing the vehicle ................... 696
Mounting the spare wheel............ 696
Batteries ............................................ 702
Disconnecting starter battery ...... 704
Removing starter battery ............. 705
Charging battery .......................... 705
Reinstalling starter battery........... 706
Reconnecting starter battery ....... 706
Jump starting ..................................... 707
Towing the vehicle ............................. 710
Towing with front wheels raised ... 711
Towing with all wheels on the
ground.......................................... 712
Installing towing eye bolt ............. 713
Fuses ................................................. 714
Fuse boxes in
engine compartment .................... 715
Fuse boxes in
passenger compartment .............. 716
Emergency engine shut-down ...... 717
Technical data.................................. 719
Parts service....................................... 720
Warranty coverage ............................. 721
Loss of Service and Warranty
Information Booklet ...................... 721
Identification labels ............................ 722
Layout of poly-V-belt drive .................. 724
CL 550 .......................................... 724
CL 600 and CL 65 AMG ................ 724
CL 63 AMG ................................... 724
Engine ................................................ 725
Rims and tires .................................... 727
Same size tires ............................. 728
Mixed size tires ............................. 729
Spare wheel .................................. 730
Electrical system ................................ 731
Main dimensions and weights ............ 732
Main dimensions........................... 732
Weights ......................................... 732
Fuels, coolants, lubricants, etc. .......... 733
Capacities ..................................... 733
Engine oils .................................... 736
Engine oil additives ....................... 736Air conditioning refrigerant ........... 736
Brake fluid .................................... 736
Premium unleaded gasoline.......... 737
Fuel requirements......................... 737
Gasoline additives......................... 738
Coolants ....................................... 738
Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system ........... 741
Index................................................. 743

29 At a glance
Cockpit
Item
Page
1
Combination switch

High beam


Corner-illuminating lamps


Windshield wipers


Turn signals
395
395
400
410
2
Lever for

Cruise control


DISTRONIC Plus*
438
443
3
Horn
4
Multifunction steering wheel
283
5
Instrument cluster
30
6
Steering wheel gearshift
control
428
7
Gear selector lever for
automatic transmission
417
Item
Page
8
Control panel with

Front passenger front
air bag off indicator lamp


Vehicle level control
switch


Electronic Stability Pro-
gram (ESP
®) switch


Parktronic*/Park Assist*
deactivation switch


Swivel COMAND display


COMAND/instrument
cluster display
illumination
51
461
72
466,
471
85
85,
434
9
COMAND display
83
a
Overhead control panel
37
b
Automatic climate control
Center console
269,
491
36
Item
Page
c
Glove box lock
510
d
Cover of compartment with

CD/DVD changer


PCMCIA card slot
116
117
e
Control system
32
f
Starter switch
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop
button
365
366
g
Steering wheel adjustment
Heated steering wheel*
379
380
h
Electronic parking brake
412
j
Driver’s door control panel
38
k
Hood lock release
553
l
Night View Assist*
481
m
Exterior lamp switch
391

31 At a glance
Instrument cluster
Item
Page
1
Coolant temperature gauge
435
2
Fuel gauge with:
Fuel tank reserve warning
lamp
AHigh beam headlamp
indicator lamp
-ABS indicator lamp
=SRS indicator lamp
660
395
608
617
3
Parktronic*/Park Assist*
warning indicator for left
front area
465,
470
4
Multifunction display with:Speedometer0
USA only
!
Canada only
Electronic
parking brake
warning or indi-
cator lamps
610
Item
Page
;
USA only
3
Canada only
Brake warning
lamp
609
615
HCombination low tire
pressure/TPMS mal-
function telltale, USA
only
Low tire pressure tell-
tale, Canada only
618
LLeft turn signal
indicator lamp
410
KRight turn signal
indicator lamp
410
vESP
® warning lamp
614
lDistance warning
lamp*
1
76,
446,
614
1Vehicles without DISTRONIC Plus*: Warning lamp
without function. It illuminates when the ignition is
on. It should go out when the engine is running.
Item
Page
5
Parktronic*/Park Assist*
warning indicator for right
front area
465,
470
6
Gear position/range
indicator
426
7
Tachometer with:±Engine malfunction
indicator lamp
612
8
Selected program mode
indicator
427
9
Main menu for control sys-
tem, multifunction display
282
a
Outside temperature
436
b
Display with:Additional speedometer
301
:PRE-SAFE
® Brake*
indicator
298

57 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
PRE-SAFE
® takes action in the following in-
stances:


Emergency braking maneuver and the
Brake Assist System (BAS) (
page 67)
is activated
or when
BAS Plus* (
page 68) is strongly inter-
vening.


Critical dynamic driving situations, e.g.
when the vehicle is understeering or
oversteering because it has exceeded
its physical limitations.


Evasive steering maneuvers at speeds
above 20 mph (30 km/h).
When you are driving faster than 20 mph
(30 km/h), PRE-SAFE
® takes the following
measures in such situations:


If the OCS senses that the front pas-
senger seat is occupied and the seat is
in an unfavorable position, it will be
adjusted to a better position.


The system increases the air pressure
in the air pockets (on the sides of the
seat cushion and backrest) of the
drive-dynamic multicontour front
seats*.


If the vehicle is understeering or over-
steering, the tilt/sliding sunroof and
the front side windows also close until
only a small gap remains.
Once the hazardous situation is over with-
out an accident occurring, PRE-SAFE
® de-
creases the air pressure in the air pockets
of the drive-dynamic multicontour front
seats*. You can readjust all of the settings
made by PRE-SAFE
®.
If the seat belts do not release:

Adjust the backrest or seat slightly to
the rear until the seat belt tension is di-
minished.
The locking mechanism releases.
Children in the vehicle
If an infant or child is traveling with you in
the vehicle:
Secure the child using an infant or child
restraint appropriate to the age and
size of the child.

Make sure the infant or child is
properly secured at all times while the
vehicle is in motion.
i
If the closing procedure of the tilt/sliding
sunroof or side windows is blocked, the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof or side windows will stop and open
slightly.
!
When moving the seat, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats. Oth-
erwise you could damage the seats.
Warning!
G
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if they are secured in a child re-
straint system. The children could

injure themselves on parts of the vehicle


be seriously or fatally injured through
excessive exposure to extreme heat or
cold


65 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
Driving safety systems
This section contains information about
Adaptive Brake Lights as well as the follow-
ing driving safety systems:

ABS (A
ntilock B
rake S
ystem)


Adaptive Brake


BAS (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem)


BAS Plus* (B
rake A
ssist S
ystem Plus)


EBP (E
lectronic B
rake P
roportioning)


ESP
® (E
lectronic S
tability P
rogram)


PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (Pre
ventive Occu-
pant Safe
ty Brake)
ABS
The Antilock Brake System (ABS) regulates
the brake pressure so that the wheels do
not lock during braking. This allows you to
maintain the ability to steer your vehicle.
The ABS is functional above a speed of ap-
proximately 5 mph (8 km/h) independent
of road surface conditions.
On slippery road surfaces, the ABS will re-
spond even to light brake pressure.
The - indicator lamp in the instrument
cluster (
page 30) comes on when you
switch on the ignition (
page 365). It goes
out when the engine is running.
Warning!
G
The following factors increase the risk of ac-
cidents:

Excessive speed, especially in turns


Wet and slippery road surfaces


Following another vehicle too closely
The driving safety systems described in this
section cannot reduce these risks or pre-
vent the natural laws of physics from acting
on the vehicle.
Always adapt your driving style to the pre-
vailing road and weather conditions and
keep a safe distance to other road users and
objects on the street.
i
In winter operation, the maximum effective-
ness of the ABS, Adaptive Brake, BAS,
BAS Plus*, EBP and ESP
® only achieved with
winter tires (
page 590), or snow chains as re-
quired.
Warning!
G
Do not pump the brake pedal. Use firm,
steady brake pedal pressure instead. Pump-
ing the brake pedal defeats the purpose of
the ABS and significantly reduces braking
effectiveness.

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.