2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class airmatic

Contents
Multicontour seats*, rear ............. 383
Easy-entry/exit feature ................ 384
Steering wheel ................................... 386
Steering wheel adjustment........... 386
Heated steering wheel* ............... 387
Mirrors ............................................... 388
Interior rear view mirror ............... 388
Exterior rear view mirrors ............. 388
Power folding exterior rear
view mirrors ................................. 389
Auto-dimming rear view mirrors ... 390
Activating exterior rear
view mirror parking position ......... 391
Memory function................................ 392
Storing positions into memory ..... 393
Recalling positions from memory . 393
Storing exterior rear view
mirror parking position ................. 394
Fastening the seat belts..................... 395
Proper use of seat belts ............... 397
Seat belt height adjustment
automatically ................................ 397
Seat belt height adjustment
manually ....................................... 398
Lighting .............................................. 399
Exterior lamp switch ..................... 399High beam .................................... 403
Headlamp cleaning system .......... 403
Corner-illuminating lamps ............ 404
Hazard warning flasher ................ 405
Interior lighting............................. 406
Door entry lamps ......................... 407
Trunk lamp ................................... 407
Windshield wipers .............................. 408
Switching on/off
windshield wipers......................... 408
Intermittent wiping....................... 409
Single wipe................................... 409
Wiping with windshield
washer fluid.................................. 409
Power windows .................................. 410
Opening and closing
power windows ............................ 410
Rear side window sunshades* ..... 412
Summer opening feature.............. 412
Convenience closing feature ........ 413
Driving and parking............................ 416
Starting the engine....................... 416
Driving off .................................... 419
Turn signals .................................. 420
Problems while driving ................. 420
Parking ......................................... 421Turning off the engine .................. 424
Releasing seat belts ..................... 425
Automatic transmission ..................... 426
Gear selector lever....................... 426
Shifting procedure ....................... 429
Transmission positions ................ 430
Driving tips................................... 433
Gear ranges ................................. 435
Automatic shift program .............. 436
Steering wheel gearshift control .. 438
Manual shift program
(S 63 AMG and S 65 AMG only) ... 440
Emergency operation
(Limp-Home Mode) ...................... 443
Instrument cluster ............................. 444
Adjusting instrument cluster
display illumination ...................... 444
Coolant temperature gauge ......... 444
Tachometer .................................. 445
Outside temperature indicator ..... 445
Fuel gauge ................................... 445
Driving systems ................................. 446
Cruise control .............................. 446
DISTRONIC Plus* ......................... 451
Airmatic ....................................... 468
Active Body Control (ABC)* ......... 470

31 At a glance
Control systems
Item
Page
1
Lto cancel Voice
Control
back
311
288
2
$to scroll up
%to scroll down
&to scroll to the right
(to scroll to the left
#to confirm selection
3
Multifunction display
287
4
sto take a call
to dial
to redial
tto end a call
to reject an incoming
call
æto increase volume
çto decrease volume
Fto mute
299
299
Item
Page
5
!to activate Voice
Control
to accept a call
311
152
6
Instrument cluster illumina-
tion
444
7
Swivel COMAND display
89
8
COMAND display illumination
89
9
COMAND display
88
a
CD/DVD changer
120
b
PCMCIA card slot
121
c
Favorite button
263
d
Rear head restraints retract
button
381
e
Program mode selector
switch for:

automatic transmission
shift program


suspension tuning of
Airmatic or ABC*
436
468
470
Item
Page
f
Shortcut button for:

CD/DVD


radio
124
103
g
Back button
96
h
Hazard warning flasher
405
j
Seat menu
282
k
Shortcut button for:

telephone*


navigation
141
195
l
COMAND on/off button
88
m
Volume control
98
n
Mute button
98
o
Telephone keypad
144
p
COMAND controller
90

436 Controls in detailAutomatic transmission
Automatic shift program
The program mode selector switch is used
to adjust

shift program


suspension tuning of Airmatic
(page 468) or ABC* (
page 470)


engine control
Program mode selector switchC Comfort For comfort driving
S Sport For standard driving
Program mode selector switch (S 63 AMG
and S 65 AMG only)M Manual For manual gear shifting
(
page 440)
C Comfort For standard driving
S Sport For sporty driving
Effect
è
The transmission shifts through
third gear only.
With this selection you can use
the braking effect of the engine.
ç
The transmission shifts through
second gear only.
Allows the use of engine’s
braking power when driving:

on steep downgrades


in mountainous regions


under extreme operating
conditions
æ
The transmission operates in
first gear only.
For maximum use of engine’s
braking effect on very steep or
lengthy downgrades.

446 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control (
page 446) and
DISTRONIC Plus*(page 451), with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed.


Airmatic (
page 468) and ABC*
(
page 470) adjust the vehicle sus-
pension characteristics automatically
and control the vehicle level.


Parktronic* (
page 472), Park Assist*
(
page 476) and Advanced Parking
Guidance* (
page 481), which serve
as a parking assistant.


Rear View Camera* (
page 487) is an
electronic and visual parking aid.


Night View Assist* (
page 491) illumi-
nates the road with infrared light in ad-
dition to the normal headlamps.


Blind Spot Assist* (
page 495) de-
tects and warns you about vehicles in
your blind spot.For information on the ABS, Adaptive
Brake, BAS, BAS Plus*, EBP, ESP
® and
PRE-SAFE
® Brake*, see “Driving safety
systems” (page 67).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time.
You can set or resume the cruise control at
any speed over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
Warning!
G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always re-
main 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 the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on winding roads or in heavy traf-
fic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous 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.

468 Controls in detailDriving systemsObstacles and stationary vehicles
DISTRONIC Plus does not brake for obsta-
cles or stationary vehicles. If, for example,
the vehicle detected in front of you chang-
es lanes to bypass an obstacle or station-
ary vehicle in front of it, DISTRONIC Plus
will not brake for the obstacle or stationary
vehicle.Cross-traffic
DISTRONIC Plus may inadvertently detect
crossing vehicles. If you switch on DIS-
TRONIC Plus, for example, at a traffic light
with cross-traffic, the vehicle may sudden-
ly start to drive off.
Airmatic
Airmatic automatically selects the opti-
mum suspension tuning and ride height for
your vehicle.
Airmatic consists of two components:

Level control system


Adaptive Damping System (ADS)
The ADS automatically selects the opti-
mum damping for the respective driv-
ing conditions. At the same time the
suspension is set to either sporty or
comfort.

469 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Vehicle level control with Airmatic
Your vehicle automatically adjusts its ride
height to:

increase vehicle safety


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


W it h inc re a sing s pe ed, ri de hei ght is re -
duced by up to approximately 0.8 in
(20 mm).


With decreasing speed, the ride height
is again raised to the selected vehicle
level.The following vehicle level settings can be
selected when the vehicle is stationary:
Select the “Raised” level setting only when
required by current driving conditions.
Otherwise:


Fuel consumption may increase.


Handling may be impaired.1Vehicle level control switch
2Indicator lamp

Start the engine.

Briefly press switch1 to change from
one level setting to the other.
The message:
“Vehicle Rising”
appears in the multifunction display
when changing from normal level to
raised level.
The indicator lamp2 is then lit. The
display switches off when the vehicle is
raised.
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.
i
These height adjustments are so small that
you may not notice any change.
LevelNormal
For driving on normal roads.
The indicator lamp is off.
Raised
For driving on rough roads or
with snow chains. The indica-
tor lamp is on.


580 OperationEngine compartment
Using a rag, turn cap1 slowly approx-
imately one half turn counterclockwise
to release any excess pressure.

Continue turning the cap counterclock-
wise and remove it.
The coolant level is correct if the level


for cold coolant: reaches the white
marking (plastic bridge) inside the cool-
ant expansion tank


for warm coolant: is approximately
0.6 in (1.5 cm) higher

Add coolant as required.

Replace and tighten cap1.
For more information on coolant, see the
“Technical data” section (
page 771). Windshield washer system and
headlamp cleaning system
The washer fluid reservoir is located on the
left-hand side of the engine compartment
when looking in the direction of travel. It
supplies the windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system with wash-
er fluid.Example illustration S 550 with Airmatic1Cap
Vehicles with ABC*1Cap
Fluid for the windshield washer system and
the headlamp cleaning system is supplied
from the windshield washer reservoir. It
has a capacity of approximately 6.87 US qt
(6.5 l).
During all seasons, add MB Windshield
Washer Concentrate “MB SummerFit” to
water. Premix the windshield washer fluid
in a suitable container.

611 Operation
Winter driving
Snow chainsSnow chains should only be driven on
snow-covered roads at speeds not to
exceed 30 mph (50 km/h). Remove chains
as soon as possible when driving on roads
without snow.
Please observe the following guidelines
when using snow chains:


Use of snow chains is not permissible
with all wheel/tire combinations
(page 754).


Use snow chains in pairs and on rear
wheels only. Follow the manufacturer’s
mounting instructions.


Only use snow chains that are
approved by Mercedes-Benz. Any
authorized Mercedes-Benz Center will
be glad to advise you on this subject.


Use of snow chains may be prohibited
depending on location. Always check
local and state laws before installing
snow chains.


Do not use snow chains on the spare
wheel (
page 754).
Warning!
G
If you use your spare tire when winter tires
are fitted on the other wheels, be aware that
the difference in tire characteristics may
very well impair turning stability and that
overall driving stability may be reduced.
Adapt your driving style accordingly.
Have the spare tire replaced with a winter
tire at the nearest authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.!
When driving with snow chains, always se-
lect the raised level of the level control system
Airmatic (
page 468) or ABC* (
page 471).
Other settings may result in damage to your
vehicle.
!
Even on vehicles with all-wheel-drive, use
snow chains on rear tires only.
Some tire sizes do not leave adequate clearance
for snow chains. To help avoid serious damage to
your vehicle or tires, make sure that the use of
snow chains is permissible as specified in the
“Technical data” section of this Operator’s
Manual, see “Rims and tires” (
page 754).
!
If snow chains are mounted to the front
wheels, they may scrape against the body or axle
components. The tires or the vehicle could be
damaged as a result.
i
All models except S 63 AMG:
When driving with snow chains, you may wish to
switch off the ESP
® (page 74) before setting
the vehicle in motion. This will improve the
vehicle’s traction.
i
S 63 AMG:
Do not switch off the ESP
® when driving in snow
or with snow chains mounted.