2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS500 Owner's Manual

208 Controls in detail
Power windows
Summer opening feature
If the weather is warm, you can ventilate
the vehicle before driving off by simulta-
neously:

opening the side windows

opening the tilt/sliding sunroof

turning on the seat ventilation* for the
driver’s seat
SmartKey
Aim transmitter eye of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* at the
driver’s outside door handle. The
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* must be in close proxim-
ity to the driver’s outside door handle.
Press and hold buttonΠuntil the
windows and the tilt/sliding sunroof
have reached the desired position.
Release buttonΠto interrupt pro-
cedure.
Convenience closing feature
When you lock the vehicle, you can close
the windows, tilt/sliding sunroof simulta-
neously.
Aim transmitter eye of the SmartKey at
the driver’s outside door handle
(
page 208). The SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be
in close proximity to the driver’s out-
side door handle.
Press and hold button‹ until the
windows, the tilt/sliding sunroof are
completely closed.
iThe seat ventilation* for the driver’s seat is
automatically set to the highest level if activated
via summer opening feature.

209 Controls in detail
Power windows
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
1Lock button
Press and hold lock button1 at an
outside door handle until the windows,
the tilt/sliding sunroof are completely
closed.
Release lock button1 at the outside
door handle to interrupt procedure.
Warning!G
When closing the windows and the tilt/slid-
ing sunroof, make sure that there is no dan-
ger of anyone being harmed by the closing
procedure.
If potential danger exists, proceed as fol-
lows:

Release button‹ to stop the closing
procedure. To open, press and hold
buttonŒ. To continue the closing
procedure after making sure that there
is no danger of anyone being harmed by
the closing procedure, press and hold
button‹.
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:

Release the lock button (page 62) on
the exterior driver’s door handle to stop
the closing procedure.

Pull on the exterior driver’s door handle
and hold firmly. The side windows and
the tilt/sliding sunroof will open for as
long as the door handle is held but the
door not opened.

210 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof
The tilt/sliding sunroof can be opened and
closed electrically. The switch for the
tilt/sliding sunroof is on the overhead
control panel.
Sunroof switch
1Push back to slide sunroof open
2Push forward to slide sunroof closed
3Push up to raise sunroof at rear
4Pull down to lower sunroof at rearWith the sunroof closed or tilted open, a
screen can be slid into the sunroof opening
to guard against sun rays. When sliding the
sunroof open, the screen will also retract.
Warning!G
When closing the tilt/sliding sunroof, make
sure there is no danger of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
The opening/closing procedure of the
tilt/sliding sunroof can be immediately halt-
ed by releasing the switch or, if the switch
was moved past the resistance point and
released, by moving the switch in any direc-
tion.
The tilt/sliding sunroof is made out of glass.
In the event of an accident, the glass may
shatter. This may result in an opening in the
roof.
In a vehicle rollover, occupants not wearing
their seat belts or not wearing them properly
may be thrown out of the opening. Such an
opening also presents a potential for injury
for occupants wearing their seat belts prop-
erly as entire body parts or portions of them
may protrude from the passenger compart-
ment.

211 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Switch on the ignition (page 38).Opening and closing the power
tilt/sliding sunroof
To open, close, raise or lower the
tilt/sliding sunroof, move the sunroof
switch to resistance point in the re-
quired direction of arrows1to4.
Release the sunroof switch when the
tilt/sliding sunroof has reached the
desired position.
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* from the starter switch, take
it with you, and lock the vehicle. 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.
!To avoid damaging the seals, do not trans-
port any objects with sharp edges which can
stick out of the tilt/sliding sunroof.
Do not open the tilt/sliding sunroof if there is
snow or ice on the roof, as this could result in
malfunctions.
If you cannot open or close the tilt/sliding sun-
roof due to a malfunction contact Roadside As-
sistance or an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.
!Please keep in mind that weather conditions
can sometimes change rapidly. Make sure to
close the tilt/sliding sunroof when leaving the
vehicle. If water enters the vehicle interior, vehi-
cle electronics could be damaged which is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
iWhen the tilt/sliding sunroof is open, reso-
nance noises may result in addition to the usual
wind noises. They are caused by minimal pres-
sure changes in the passenger compartment. To
reduce or eliminate these noises, change the po-
sition of the tilt/sliding sunroof or open a side
window slightly.
iYou can also open or close the tilt/sliding
sunroof using the SmartKey (summer open-
ing/convenience closing feature) (
page 208).
Depending on current position, the tilt/sliding
sunroof may also open or close when the air re-
circulation button, in the automatic climate
control (
page 191) or (page 190) is pressed
and held.

212 Controls in detail
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Fully opening (Express-open) and clos-
ing (Express-close) the power tilt/slid-
ing sunroof
To open or close the tilt/sliding sun-
roof, move the sunroof switch past the
resistance point in direction of
arrow1to2 and release.
The tilt/sliding sunroof opens or closes
completely.
Stopping the power tilt/sliding sunroof
during Express-operation
Move the sunroof switch in any direc-
tion.Synchronizing the power tilt/sliding
sunroof
The tilt/sliding sunroof must be synchro-
nized

after the battery has been
disconnected or discharged

after a malfunction

if the tilt/sliding sunroof does not open
smoothly
Remove the respective fuse from the
fuse box in passenger compartment
(
page 428).
Reinsert the fuse in the fuse box.
Switch on the ignition (page 38).
Move and hold the sunroof switch in di-
rection of arrow3 until the tilt/sliding
sunroof is fully raised at the rear.
Keep holding the sunroof switch in di-
rection of arrow3 for approximately
1 second.
Check the Express-open feature
(
page 212).
If the tilt/sliding sunroof opens com-
pletely, the roof is synchronized. Other-
wise repeat the above steps.
iIf the movement of the tilt/sliding sunroof is
blocked during the closing procedure, the
tilt/sliding sunroof will stop and reopen slightly.

213 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Driving systems
The following driving systems are
explained on the following pages:

Cruise control and Distronic*, with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed

Airmatic DC adjusts the vehicle sus-
pension characteristics automatically
and controls the vehicle level

Parktronic system*, which assists the
driver during parking maneuvers
For information on the BAS, ABS, ESP
® and
EBP, see “Driving safety systems”
(
page 89).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
Use of cruise control is recommended for
driving at a constant speed for extended
periods of time. You can set or resume
cruise control at any speed above 20 mph
(30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
The cruise control lever is the uppermost
lever on the left-hand side of the steering
column (
page 24).
Warning!G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always
remain responsible for the vehicle’s speed
and for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it ad-
visable to travel at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on winding roads or in heavy traffic
because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.

The use of cruise control can be danger-
ous on slippery roads. Rapid changes in
tire traction can result in wheel spin and
loss of control.

Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

214 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Set current or higher speed
2Set current or lower speed
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume at last set speedSetting current speed
Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.
Briefly lift1 or depress2 the cruise
control lever.
The current speed is set.
Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
Cruise control is activated.
The selected speed appears in the multi-
function display for approximately
5 seconds, and the corresponding speed-
ometer segments from the selected speed
to the vehicle maximum speed are illumi-
nated.
Warning!G
The cruise control brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded.
Keep in mind that the cruise control is a con-
venience system designed to assist the driv-
er during vehicle operation. The driver is and
must always remain responsible for the ve-
hicle’s speed and for safe brake operation.
iOn uphill or downhill grades, the cruise con-
trol may not be able to maintain the set speed.
Once the grade eases, the set speed will be re-
sumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control maintains
the set speed with active braking action. In addi-
tion, on longer downhill grades the automatic
transmission will automatically downshift.

215 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:
Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or
Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3 (
page 214).
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.Setting a higher speed
Lift the cruise control lever in direction
of arrow1 (
page 214) and hold it
up until the desired speed is reached.
Release the cruise control lever.
The new speed is set.
iThe last stored speed is canceled when you
turn off the engine.
iThe cruise control automatically switches
off, if

you step on the brake pedal.

you depress the parking brake pedal.
In this case the segments in the multifunc-
tion display (
page 139) go out and no
warning sounds.

the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h).

the ESP® is in operation or switched off with
the ESP® switch (page 94).

you move the gear selector lever to position
N while driving.
The segments in the multifunction display
(
page 139) go out, and an acoustic warning
sounds.
!Moving the gear selector lever to positionN
while driving also cancels the cruise control.
However, the gear selector lever should not be
moved to positionN while driving except to
coast when the vehicle is in danger of skidding
(e.g. on icy roads).
iDepressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate the cruise control. After brief acceler-
ation (e.g. for passing), the cruise control will re-
sume the last speed set.
Warning!G
If you increase the vehicle set speed, keep in
mind that it may take a brief moment until
the vehicle has reached the set speed.
Increase the vehicle set speed to a value
that the prevailing road conditions and legal
speed limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and
unexpected acceleration of the vehicle
could cause an accident and/or serious in-
jury to you and others.