2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class height

Contents
Off-road and off-map .................... 241
Navigation announcements .......... 243
COMAND navigation system
(during route guidance)...................... 244
Cancel route guidance ................. 244
Continuing cancelled
route guidance ............................. 244
Route browser .............................. 244
Displaying info .............................. 245
Displaying route information ........ 246
Detour function ............................ 246
COMAND navigation system
(real-time traffic) ................................ 248
Real-time traffic notifications
in the map .................................... 248
Displaying real-time
traffic reports ............................... 249
Example message ........................ 250
COMAND navigation system
(destination memory) ......................... 251
Saving a destination in
the destination memory ............... 251
Deleting a destination
from the destination memory ....... 253
Own address ................................ 254COMAND navigation system
(last destinations) .............................. 258
Saving a destination permanently
in the destination memory ........... 258
Saving the vehicle position in
the list of last destinations ........... 258
Saving the crosshair position in
the list of last destinations ........... 258
Deleting one of
the last destinations..................... 258
COMAND system settings ................. 259
System settings menu overview ... 259
Display settings............................ 259
Time settings................................ 259
Voice Control settings .................. 261
Setting the system language ........ 262
Assigning the favorite button ....... 263
Reset............................................ 263
COMAND vehicle menu ..................... 264
Setting night security illumination 264
Locator lighting on/off ................. 265
Exterior mirror
convenience settings ................... 266
Automatic locking on/off ............. 267
Activating easy-entry/exit feature 268
Setting interior ambient lighting... 269Setting interior lighting
delayed switch-off ........................ 270
Extending or retracting rear
window sunshade ........................ 271
Trunk opening-height
restriction* on/off ....................... 272
COMAND automatic climate control . 273
Setting temperature ..................... 274
Adjusting air distribution .............. 275
Adjusting air volume .................... 275
Central climate control menu via
COMAND ..................................... 276
Operating rear climate control*
from the front .............................. 279
COMAND seats ................................. 282
Operating seats via COMAND ...... 282
Lumbar support ........................... 283
Multicontour seats*, front ........... 283
Drive-dynamic multicontour
seats*, front................................. 285
Instrument cluster control system..... 287
Multifunction display.................... 287
Multifunction steering wheel........ 288
Menus .......................................... 289
Trip menu ..................................... 291
Navi menu .................................... 292

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

61 Safety and Security
Occupant safety


A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front
passenger front air bag inflates in a
collision which could occur under some
circumstances, even with the air bag
technology installed in your vehicle. The
only means to completely eliminate this
risk is to never place a child in a rear-fac-
ing child restraint in the front seat. We
therefore strongly recommend that you
always place a child in a rear-facing
child restraint in the back seat.


If you must install a rear-facing child
restraint on the front passenger seat be-
cause circumstances require you to do
so, make sure that the 59
indicator lamp is illuminated, indicating
that the front passenger front air bag is
deactivated. Should the
59indicator lamp not illu-
minate or go out while the restraint is in-
stalled, please check installation.
Periodically check the 59
indicator lamp while driving to make
sure the lamp is illuminated. If the
59indicator lamp goes out
or remains out, do not transport a child
on the front passenger seat until the
system has been repaired.
A child in a rear-facing child restraint on
the front passenger seat will be serious-
ly injured or even killed if the front pas-
senger front air bag inflates.


If you have to place a child in a for-
ward-facing child restraint on the front
passenger seat, move the seat as far
back as possible, use the proper child
restraint recommended for the age, size
and weight of the child, and secure child
restraint with the vehicle’s seat belt ac-
cording to the child seat manufacturer’s
instructions. For children larger than the
typical 12-month-old child, the front
passenger front air bag may or may not
be activated (
page 48).
Warning!
G
Infants and small children should never
share a seat belt with another occupant.
During an accident, they could be crushed
between the occupant and seat belt.
A child’s risk of serious or fatal injuries is
significantly increased if the child restraints
are not properly secured in the vehicle
and/or the child is not properly secured in
the child restraint.
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion shoulder belt across chest and shoul-
der, not face or neck. A booster seat may be
necessary to achieve proper seat belt posi-
tioning for children over 41 lbs until they
reach a height where a lap/shoulder belt fits
properly without a booster.


63 Safety and Security
Occupant safety
Once the top tether anchorage hook is at-
tached, the child restraint itself can be se-
cured. Tighten the top tether strap
according to the child restraint manufac-
turer’s instructions. 
Reinstall cover after removing the
tether strap.Child seat anchors – LATCH type
This vehicle is equipped with two LATCH
(L
ower A
nchors and T
ethers for CH
ildren)
type anchors (at each of the rear seats) for
the installation of a LATCH child seat with
the matching anchor fittings.
If you have not installed a child seat, the
LATCH anchors are hidden by an uphol-
stery cover.
1Indicates the position of the anchors
2Anchors
3Upholstery cover
4Installation device
Warning!
G
Vehicles with rear power seats*: Never ad-
just the rear seat position after installing the
child restraint. Adjusting the rear seat posi-
tion after installing the child restraint could
damage the child restraint and/or introduce
undesirable slack or tension into the seat
belt and loosen or misposition the child re-
straint, lessening the effectiveness of the
child restraint and thus increasing the
chance or severity of injury in an accident.
Warning!
G
Children too big for a toddler restraint must
ride in seats using regular seat belts. Posi-
tion shoulder belt across chest and shoul-
der, not face or neck. A booster seat may be
necessary to achieve proper seat belt posi-
tioning for children over 41 lbs until they
reach a height where a lap/shoulder belt fits
properly without a booster.
Install child seat according to manufactur-
er’s instructions.
T h e c h i l d s e a t m u s t b e f i r m l y a t t a c h e d t o t h e
right and left side anchors.
An incorrectly mounted child seat may come
loose during an accident which could result
in serious injury or death to the child.
Damaged or impact damaged child seats or
child seat mounting fittings must be re-
placed.
Do not leave children unattended in the ve-
hicle, even if the children are secured in a
child restraint system.


93 Control systems
COMAND introduction
Video DVD
Page
Vehicle
Page
Commands/menusVideo DVD
132
Exterior Lighting Delayed Switch-off
264
Submenu overview
134
Locator Lighting
265
Switching to video DVD mode
134
Exterior Mirror Convenience Settings
266
Pause playback
136
Automatic Locking
267
DVD menu
138
Easy Entry/Exit Feature
268
Video AUX
130
Interior Lighting Delayed Switch-off
270
Interior Ambient Light
269
Rear Window Sunshade
271
Trunk Opening-height Restriction*
272

200 Control systemsCOMAND navigation (introduction)Geo-coordinate displayIllustration: map with geo-coordinate dis-
play switched on1Current height above sea level
2Number of GPS satellites from which
signals for positioning can be received
3Coordinate displayDisplay options with geo-coordinate dis-
play switched on
If the crosshair is displayed on the map
view (map was moved manually), only dis-
play 3 is visible.
It shows either the coordinates of the
crosshair or other data on the crosshair
position, e.g. a street name. The digital
map must contain relevant data in order
for this other data to be displayed.Switching the geo-coordinate display on
or off

Select “Navi”
“Navi”
“Map Dis-
play”.
The map display list appears.

Select “Coordinates”.
The geo-coordinate display is switched
on or off, depending on the previous
status. A checkmark indicates which
status is active.

Exiting menu: Slide omp or press
back button L in the center console
(page 88).
i
There must be sufficient GPS reception for
displays 1, 2 and 3 to be shown. Height dis-
play 1 is an approximation because the naviga-
tion system uses the GPS signals for the
calculation.
i
If there is no crosshair on the map view, dis-
plays 1, 2 and 3 are visible. Display 3
shows the coordinates of the current vehicle po-
sition.

264 Control systemsCOMAND vehicle menuIn this menu, you can program the follow-
ing vehicle functions:
Setting night security illumination
(Exterior Lighting Delayed Switch-off)
Use this function to set whether and how
long you would like the exterior lighting to
illuminate during darkness after exiting the
vehicle and all doors closed.
The exterior lighting automatically goes
out after the delayed switch-off time has
expired.
You can select:

“0 sec.”, the delayed switch-off feature
is deactivated


“15 sec.”, “30 sec.”, “45 sec.”, or
“60 sec.”, the delayed switch-off fea-
ture is activated

Select “Vehicle”.
The main area is active.

Selecting “Exterior Lighting Delayed
Switch-off” menu: Slide omp or
rotateymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.

Selecting length of time: Slide qmr
or rotate ymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.
or

Select “Vehicle”
“Vehicle”
“Exte-
rior Lighting Delayed Switch-off”.
A selection list appears.
The current setting is indicated by a
dotR.
Function
Page
Exterior Lighting Delayed
Switch-off
264
Locator Lighting
265
Exterior Mirror Convenience Set-
tings
266
Automatic Locking
267
Easy Entry/Exit Feature
268
Interior Ambient Light
269
Interior Lighting Delayed
Switch-off
270
Rear-window Sunshade
271
Trunk Opening-height Restriction*
272
i
The components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 87).
i
You can reactivate this function within
10 minutes by opening a door.

272 Control systemsCOMAND vehicle menuTrunk opening-height restriction* on/off
Vehicles with trunk opening/closing sys-
tem*:
You can select whether the trunk lid should
open fully or only to the height of the roof.
Select “Vehicle”.
The main area is active.

Selecting “Trunk Opening-height Re-
striction” function: Slide omp or
rotateymz.

Confirming selection: Press n.

Switching on or off: Press n.
or

Select “Vehicle”
“Vehicle”
“Trunk
Opening-height Restriction”.
A checkmark appears when the trunk
opening-height restriction is switched
on.

Confirming selection: Press n.
i
The components and operating principles of
COMAND can be found on (
page 87).