2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS500 height adjustment

42 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat adjustment
The seat adjustment switches are located
on the front doors.
1Seat fore and aft adjustment
2Backrest tilt
3Head restraint height
4Seat height
5Seat cushion tilt
Warning!G
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.
Even with the SmartKey or the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO* removed from the
starter switch or the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the vehicle,
the power seats can be operated when the
respective door is open. Therefore, 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.
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
appropriate infant or toddler restraint, or
booster seat recommended for the size and
weight of the child. For additional informa-
tion, see “Children in the vehicle”
(
page 82).
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.
iThe memory function (page 123) lets you
store the settings for the seat position 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.

43 Getting started
Adjusting
Seat fore and aft adjustment
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow1.
Backrest tilt
Press the switch forward or backward
in direction of arrow2.
Head restraint height
Press the switch up or down in
direction of arrow3.
Seat height
Press the switch up or down in
direction of arrow4.
Seat cushion tilt
Press the switch up or down in
direction of arrow5 until your upper
legs are lightly supported.Head restraint adjusting
Manually adjust the head restraint.
Push or pull on the upper edge of the
head restraint cushion.
iDepending on the set height of the head re-
straint, the seat fore and aft position is automat-
ically pre-set.
Warning!G
For your protection, drive only with properly
positioned head restraints.
Adjust the head restraint so that it is as
close to the head as possible and the center
of the head restraint supports the back of
the head at eye level. This will reduce the po-
tential for injury to the head and neck in the
event of an accident or similar situation.
Do not drive the vehicle without the seat
head restraints. Head restraints are
intended to help reduce injuries during an
accident.
iAdjust the head restraint in such a way that
it is as close to the head as possible.

50 Getting started
Driving
Belt outlet height adjustment
1Release button
Press release button1 and move the
seat belt height adjuster upward or
downward.
Proper use of seat belts

Do not twist the belt when fastening.

Adjust seat belt so that the shoulder
portion is located as close as possible
to the middle of the shoulder (it should
not touch the neck). Never pass the
shoulder portion of the belt under your
arm.

Position the lap belt as low as possible
on your hips (over hip joint) and not
across the abdomen.

Place the seat backrest in a position
that is as upright as possible.

Never use a seat belt for more than one
person at a time.

Do not fasten a seat belt around a per-
son and another object at the same
time. When using a seat belt to secure
infant or toddler restraints or children
in booster seats, always follow the
child seat manufacturer’s instructions.

Check your seat belt periodically dur-
ing t ravel to ma ke sure that it is proper-
ly positioned.

Make sure that the seat belt is always
fitted snugly. Take special care of this
when wearing loose clothing.
Warning!G
Do not pass belts over sharp edges. They
could tear.
Do not allow the belt to get caught in the
door or in the seat adjustment mechanism.
This could damage the belt.
Never attempt to make modifications to
seat belts. This could impair the effective-
ness of the belts.
Do not bleach or dye seat belts as this may
severely weaken them. In a crash they may
not be able to provide adequate protection.
Damaged seat belts or belts that were highly
stressed in an accident must be replaced.
Contact an authorized Mercedes-Benz
Center.

231 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Vehicle level control
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to

increase vehicle safety

reduce fuel consumption
The following vehicle chassis ride heights
can be selected:

Normal

Raised
The vehicle chassis ride height is raised or
lowered according to the selected level
setting and to the vehicle speed:

At a speed exceeding approximately
68 mph (110 km/h) with normal level
set or exceeding 75 mph (120 km/h)
with raised level set, the ride height is
reduced automatically. The table on
the next page provides an overview of
the vehicle levels.

With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the normal level.
Select the raised level only when required
by current driving conditions. Otherwise

handling may be impaired

fuel consumption may increase
iThese height adjustments are so small that
you may not notice any change.
Warning!G
To help avoid personal injury, keep hands
and feet away from wheel housing area, and
stay away from under the vehicle when low-
ering the vehicle chassis.

464 Index
Head restraints 118
Active head restraints 81
Comfort head restraint*,
Adjusting 44
Folding back 119
Front seat, Adjusting 43
Front seat, Removing
Rear seat, Removing and
installing 118
Headlamp cleaning system* 183
Headlamp shut off delay see Delayed
shut-off, Exterior lamps 161
Headlamps
Automatic headlamp mode 127
Bi-Xenon headlamps, Active 126
Cleaning lenses 337
Cleaning system* 183
Halogen 405
High beam 55
High beam flasher 55
High beam see High beam headlamps
Low beam 55
Manual headlamp mode 127
Replacing bulbs 404
Switch 55Headliner and shelf below rear window,
cleaning 340
Heated seats* 121
Heated steering wheel (Canada
only) 251
Height adjustment
Head restraints 43
Seats 42
Steering wheel 44
Vehicle level control 231
High beam flasher 55, 130
High beam headlamps
Replacing bulbs 408
Switching on 55, 130
High mounted brake lamp 406
High-performance brake system
(CLS 63 AMG only) 274
Hood 286
Message in display 372
Horn 25
HVAC see Climate control system
Hydroplaning 276
I
Identification labels 434
Identification Number, Vehicle (VIN) 435
Ignition 38, 40Immobilizer 97
Indicator lamps see Lamps, indicator and
warning
Infant and child restraint systems see Chil-
dren in the vehicle
Inflation pressure see
Tires, Inflation pressure 301
Information button (Tele Aid) 260
Inside door handle 108
Installing
Wiper blades 411
Instrument cluster 26, 136
Coolant temperature indicator 137
Illumination brightness 136
Lamps 344
Messages in the multifunction
display 358
Multifunction display 139
Outside temperature indicator 138
Instrument lighting see Instrument cluster,
Illumination brightness 136
Instrument panel see Instrument
cluster 136
Instruments and controls see
Cockpit 136

470 Index
Recommended tire inflation
pressure 325
Recovery services, Stolen vehicle (Tele
Aid) 262
Refrigerant, Air conditioning 450
Refueling 283
Regular checks 285
Reminder, seat belts see Seat belts, Tell-
tale
Remote control see Key, SmartKey
Remote door unlock (Tele Aid) 261
Replacing bulbs
Additional turn signals 407
Brake lamps 407
Front lamps 407
Headlamps 405
High beam headlamps 408
High mounted brake lamp 407
License plate lamps 409
Low beam headlamps 408
Parking lamps 409
Side marker lamps 407
Tail lamps 409
Turn signal lamps 408
Reporting safety defects 18
Research octane number see RONReserve fuel
Message in display 380
Reset button in the instrument
cluster 136, 153
Reset tool (Active head restraints) 401
Restraint system see Children in the vehi-
cle
Retaining hook 242
Reverse gear position, Automatic
transmission 169, 171
Rims 325, 438
Roadside assistance 12
Button 259
RON 284
Roof rack* 238
Rotating tires 326
Rubber parts, cleaning 339
Run Flat Indicator* 304
S
Safety
Driving safety systems 89
Occupant 64
Reporting defects 18
Safety belts see Seat belts
Satellite radio* 149
Seat belt force limiter 79Seat belts 76
Children in the vehicle 82
Cleaning 340
Fastening 48
Height adjustment 50
Proper use of 50, 78
Safety guidelines 68
Telltale 27, 351, 352
Warning lamp 351, 352
Seating capacity 297
Seats 41, 118
Adjusting 41
Easy entry/exit feature* 45
Heater* 121
Memory function 123
Multicontour seat* 120
Ventilation* 122
Securing cargo
Cargo tie-down hooks 242
Selecting display 156
Selective setting see Key, SmartKey or
Key, SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Selector lever see Gear selector lever
Self-test
OCS 76
Tele Aid 257