2008 MERCEDES-BENZ CLS500 trunk

Contents
Safety and Security........................... 63
Occupant safety................................... 64
Air bags .......................................... 66
Occupant Classification System ..... 71
Seat belts ....................................... 76
Preventive occupant safety
(PRE-SAFE
®) ................................... 80
Active head restraints .................... 81
Children in the vehicle .................... 82
Blocking of
rear door window operation ........... 87
Panic alarm .......................................... 88
Activating ....................................... 88
Deactivating ................................... 88
Driving safety systems ......................... 89
ABS ................................................ 89
BAS ................................................ 90
Adaptive Brake ............................... 91
EBP................................................. 92
ESP
®............................................... 92
Anti-theft systems................................ 97
Immobilizer..................................... 97
Anti-theft alarm system .................. 97
Controls in detail............................... 99
Locking and unlocking ....................... 100
SmartKey ..................................... 100
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 103
Checking batteries in the
SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* .............................. 108
Loss of the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* ...... 108
Opening the doors
from the inside ............................. 108
Opening the trunk ........................ 109
Closing the trunk.......................... 111
Trunk emergency release ............. 114
Valet locking ................................ 115
Automatic central locking ............ 116
Locking and unlocking
from the inside ............................. 116
Seats ................................................ 118
Front seat active head restraints . 118
Rear seat head restraints ............. 118
Lumbar support............................ 119
Multicontour seat* ....................... 120
Seat heating* ............................... 121
Seat ventilation* .......................... 122Memory function ............................... 123
Storing positions into memory ..... 124
Recalling positions from memory. 124
Storing exterior rear view mirror
parking position ........................... 125
Lighting ............................................. 126
Exterior lamp switch .................... 126
Combination switch ..................... 130
Corner-illuminating
front fog lamps* (CLS 550 with
Bi-Xenon* headlamps only).......... 130
Hazard warning flasher ................ 132
Interior lighting in the front .......... 133
Interior lighting in the rear ........... 134
Door entry lamps ......................... 135
Trunk lamp ................................... 135
Instrument cluster ............................. 136
Adjusting instrument cluster
illumination .................................. 136
Coolant temperature indicator ..... 137
Resetting trip odometer ............... 137
Tachometer.................................. 138
Outside temperature indicator ..... 138
Control system .................................. 139
Multifunction display.................... 139
Multifunction steering wheel........ 140

Contents
Maximum tire inflation pressure .. 320
Uniform Tire Quality Grading
Standards (U.S. vehicles) ............. 321
Tire ply material ........................... 323
Tire and loading terminology ........ 323
Rotating tires ............................... 326
Winter driving .................................... 328
Winter tires .................................. 328
Block heater* (Canada only) ........ 329
Snow chains................................. 329
Maintenance ...................................... 330
Maintenance service indicator
message....................................... 330
Calling up the maintenance
service indicator........................... 331
Resetting the maintenance
service indicator........................... 332
Vehicle care ....................................... 333
Cleaning and care of vehicle ........ 333
Practical hints.................................. 343
What to do if … ................................... 344
Lamps in instrument cluster ......... 344
Lamp in center console................. 356
Vehicle status messages in the
multifunction display..................... 358
Where will I find...? ............................. 393
First aid kit .................................... 393
Spare wheel .................................. 393
Vehicle tool kit .............................. 395
Luggage box ................................. 397
Unlocking/locking in an emergency... 398
Unlocking the vehicle.................... 398
Locking the vehicle ....................... 399
Fuel filler flap emergency release . 400
Manually unlocking the gear
selector lever ................................ 400
Resetting activated head restraints .... 401
Replacing SmartKey batteries ............ 402
Replacing bulbs .................................. 404
Bulbs ............................................. 404
Replacing bulbs for front lamps .... 407
Replacing bulbs for rear lamps ..... 409
Replacing wiper blades....................... 410
Wiper blades ................................. 410Flat tire............................................... 412
Preparing the vehicle .................... 412
Mounting the spare wheel ............ 412
MOExtended system* ................... 419
Battery ............................................... 420
Disconnecting the battery ............ 421
Removing the battery ................... 421
Charging and reinstalling the
battery .......................................... 422
Reconnecting the battery ............. 422
Jump starting...................................... 423
Towing the vehicle.............................. 425
Installing towing eye bolt .............. 426
Fuses.................................................. 428
Fuse box in passenger
compartment ................................ 429
Fuse box in trunk .......................... 429

23 At a glance
Exterior view
ItemPage
1Trunk

Unlocking100

Opening and closing109

Spare wheel393

Vehicle tool kit395
2Rear lamps404
3Rear window, defrosting191
4Fuel filler flap283

Fuel requirements451
5Doors

Locking and unlocking100

Opening and closing108
ItemPage
6Towing eye bolt395

Installing towing eye bolt425
7Rims and tires

Checking tire inflation
pressure303

Flat tire412
8Front lamps404
9Hood, opening286

Engine oil287

Coolant290
aWindshield wipers56

Wiper blades, replacing410

Wiper blades, cleaning338
ItemPage
bWindow, cleaning338
cPower tilt/sliding sunroof210
dExterior rear view mirrors

Adjusting47

Auto-dimming183

Parking position184
eSide marker lamps404

33 At a glance
Storage compartments
ItemPage
1Glove box243
2Front passenger seat storage
compartment with first aid kit393
3Door pocket
4Ashtray249
5Ruffled storage bag245
6Door pocket
7Side storage pocket in trunk
8Luggage box under the trunk
floor397
9Door pocket
aRuffled storage bag 245
bAshtray249
cDoor pocket
dDriver’s seat storage compart-
ment244
ItemPage
eSun visor card clip184
fCD changer, see separate
COMAND operating instruc-
tions
gParcel net in front passenger
footwell245
hAshtray with cigarette lighter248
jCup holders246
kStorage compartment/tele-
phone* compartment under
the center armrest243
lCup holder in the rear center
console247
mRear storage compartment in
the rear center console244
nCup holder in the rear armrest248
oStorage compartment in the
rear armrest244

34 At a glance
Door control panel
ItemPage
1Inside door handle108
2Seat adjustment42
3Memory function (for stor-
ing seat, exterior mirror and
steering wheel settings)123
4Exterior rear view mirror ad-
justment47
5Switches for opening/clos-
ing front and rear side win-
dows, rear window override
switch 205
6Remote trunk release
switch, trunk opening/clos-
ing system*110

36 Getting started
The “Getting started” section provides an
overview of the vehicle’s most basic func-
tions. First-time Mercedes-Benz owners
should pay special attention to the infor-
mation given here.
If you are already familiar with the basic
functions described here, the “Controls in
detail” section will provide you with further
information. The corresponding page refer-
ences are located at the end of each seg-
ment.
Unlocking
Unlocking with the SmartKey
SmartKey with remote control
1‹Lock button
2ŠOpening button for trunk
3ŒUnlock button
4ÂPanic buttonPress unlock buttonŒ on the
SmartKey.

All turn signal lamps flash once.

An acoustic signal sounds once.

The locking knobs in the doors
move up.

The anti-theft alarm system is dis-
armed.
Get in the vehicle and insert the
SmartKey in the starter switch.
Warning!G
When leaving the vehicle, always remove the
SmartKey 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 un-
supervised access to a vehicle could result
in an accident and/or serious personal
injury.

61 Getting started
Parking and locking
Turning off with the SmartKey
Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
(
page 38) to position0.
Remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch.
The immobilizer is activated.
Turning off with KEYLESS-GO*
Press the KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button (
page 39) to turn off the en-
gine.
With the driver’s door closed, the start-
er switch is now in position1. With the
driver’s door opened, the starter switch
is set to position0, same as SmartKey
removed from starter switch
(
page 38).
Releasing seat belts
Press the seat belt release button
(
page 49).
Allow the retractor to completely
rewind the seat belt by guiding the
latch plate.
Locking
Exit the vehicle and close all doors and
the trunk.iIf you hear a warning signal you have tried to
turn off the engine while the gear selector lever
was not inP.
In addition, the message
Gear Selector Le-
ver In P Position
appears in the multifunc-
tion display.
Place the gear selector lever in positionP.
!Make sure the seat belt retracts fully so that
the seat belt and/or latch plate cannot get
caught or pinched in the door or in the seat
mechanism. This can damage the seat belt and
impair the effectiveness of the seat belt, and/or
cause damage to the door and/or door trim pan-
el. Such damage is not covered by the
Mercedes-Benz Limited Warranty.
Damaged seat belts must be replaced. Contact
an authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
Warning!G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the door
openings when closing the doors.
Be especially careful when small children
are around.
Before closing doors, make sure that there
is no possibility of someone getting caught
in a door during closing.
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. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.

62 Getting started
Parking and locking
Locking with the SmartKey
After exiting the vehicle, press lock
button‹ on the SmartKey
(
page 36).
With the trunk and all doors closed:

All turn signal lamps flash three
times.

An acoustic signal sounds three
times.
For more information, see “Factory
setting” (
page 106).

The locking knobs in the doors
move down.

The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 100).
Locking with KEYLESS-GO*
1Lock button
After exiting the vehicle, press lock
button1 at the outside door handle or
on the trunk lid.
With the trunk and all doors closed:

All turn signal lamps flash three
times.

An acoustic signal sounds three
times.
For more information, see “Factory
setting” (
page 106).

The locking knobs in the doors
move down.

The anti-theft alarm system is
armed.
For more information, see “Locking and
unlocking” (
page 100).
iIf you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the low beam headlamps or the
parking lamps before opening the driver’s door.
In addition the message
Switch Off Lights
appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the low beam headlamps or the park-
ing lamps.
If the message
Switch Off Lights or
Remove Key
appears in the multifunction dis-
play remove the SmartKey from the starter
switch or switch off the automatic headlamp
mode.
!Failure to switch off the exterior lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.