2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class mirror controls

357 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Starter switch positions
Seats
Steering wheel
Mirrors
Memory function
Fastening the seat belts
Lighting
Windshield wipers
Power windows
Driving and parkingAutomatic transmission
Instrument cluster
Driving systems
Air vents
Automatic climate control
Trunk
Power tilt/sliding sunroof
Panorama roof with power
tilt/sliding panel*
Loading and storing
Useful features

374 Controls in detailSeats
You can adjust the lumbar support, multi-
contour seats* for driver and front passen-
ger, as well as drive-dynamic multicontour
seats* using COMAND (
page 282).
Front power seat adjustment
Example driver’s door1Head restraint height (
page 379)
2Seat height
3Seat cushion tilt
4Seat cushion depth
5Seat fore and aft
6Seat backrest tilt

Seat height: Press the switch up or
down in the direction of arrow2.

Seat cushion tilt: Press the switch up
or down in the direction of
arrow3until your upper legs are
lightly supported.

Seat cushion depth: Press the switch
forward or backward in the direction of
arrow4 until your legs are supported
comfortably.
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
appropriately sized infant restraint, toddler
restraint, or booster seat recommended for
the size and weight of the child. For addi-
tional information, see “Children in the vehi-
cle” (
page 58).
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.
i
If PRE-SAFE
® has been activated, the front
passenger’s seat and/or electrically adjustable
rear seats* will be moved to a more favorable
seat position.
i
The memory function (
page 392) lets you
store the settings for the seat positions together
with the settings for the steering wheel and the
exterior rear view mirrors.
!
When moving the seats, make sure there are
no items in the footwell or behind the seats; oth-
erwise, you could damage the seats.

386 Controls in detailSteering wheel
Make sure that

you can reach the steering wheel with
your arms slightly bent at the elbows


you can move your legs freely


all displays (including malfunction and
indicator lamps) on the instrument
cluster are clearly visible
Steering wheel adjustment
1Adjusting steering wheel, in or out
2Adjusting steering column, up or down
Adjusting steering wheel in or out:
Move stalk forward or back in the direc-
tion of arrow1 until a comfortable
steering wheel position is reached with
your arms slightly bent at the elbow.

Adjusting steering wheel up or
down: Move stalk up or down in the di-
rection of arrow2.
Warning!
G
Do not adjust the steering wheel while driv-
ing. Adjusting the steering wheel while driv-
ing could cause the driver to lose control of
the vehicle.
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.
Even with the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* removed from the starter
switch or the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle, the steering
wheel adjustment feature can be operated.
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 result in an accident and/or
serious personal injury.
i
The memory function (
page 392) lets you
store settings for the steering wheel together
with the settings for the seat position and the ex-
terior rear view mirrors.

388 Controls in detailMirrorsAdjust the interior and exterior rear view
mirrors before driving so that you have a
good view of the road and traffic condi-
tions.Interior rear view mirror
Manually adjust the interior rear view
mirror.
For more information, see “Auto-dimming
rear view mirrors” (
page 390).
Exterior rear view mirrors1 Selector switch for right or left exterior
mirror
2Adjustment button

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Press button1 repeatedly until de-
sired exterior mirror is selected.
The left or right indicator lamp in
button1 comes on.

Push adjustment button2 up, down,
left, or right according to the desired
setting.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passenger
side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
terior rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.
i
When you press button1 for the first time,
the exterior mirror on the driver’s side is always
selected.
If you do not make adjustments to the selected
exterior rear view mirror within 15 seconds, the
indicator lamp goes out. You will then have to se-
lect the desired exterior rear view mirror again
before any adjustments can be made. Adjust-
ments can only be made with the indicator lamp
for the respective exterior rear view mirror but-
ton illuminated.
i
At low ambient temperatures, the exterior
rear view mirrors will be heated automatically.
i
The memory function (
page 392) lets you
store the setting for the exterior rear view mir-
rors together with the setting for the steering
wheel and the seat positions.

389 Controls in detail
Mirrors
Power folding exterior rear view mirrors
Folding exterior rear view mirrors in
and out automatically
When the corresponding function in the
COMAND system is activated
(page 266):


The exterior rear view mirrors automat-
ically fold in as soon as the vehicle is
locked from the outside.


The exterior rear view mirrors automat-
ically fold out as soon as the vehicle is
unlocked and the driver’s or front pas-
senger door are subsequently opened.Folding exterior rear view mirrors in
and out manually
The exterior rear view mirrors can vibrate if
they are not folded out completely.
1Folds the exterior mirrors in and out

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Folding in: Press button1.

Folding out: Press button1 again.
!
Before driving the vehicle through an auto-
matic car wash, fold the exterior mirrors in. Oth-
erwise they may get damaged.
i
If you are driving at more than approximately
9 mph (15 km/h), you will not be able to fold the
exterior mirrors in.
i
The mirrors do not fold out if they were pre-
viously folded in manually. Please make sure
both mirrors are folded out before driving off.
!
If an exterior rear view mirror housing has
been forcibly pushed forward (hit from the rear),
reposition it manually by applying firm pressure
until it snaps back into place.
If an exterior rear view mirror housing has been
forcibly pushed rearward (hit from the front),
press button1 to fold mirrors in, then press
button1 again to fold mirrors out. Do not force
mirrors by hand as this may damage the adjust-
ment mechanism.
The mirror housing is then properly positioned
and you can adjust the mirror in the usual
manner.

390 Controls in detailMirrorsAuto-dimming rear view mirrors
The reflection brightness of the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side and
the interior rear view mirror will respond
automatically to glare when

the ignition is switched on
(page 370)
and


incoming light from headlamps falls on
the sensor in the interior rear view
mirror
The interior rear view mirror will not react if


reverse gearR is engaged


the interior lighting is turned on
Warning!
G
The auto-dimming function does not react if
incoming light is not aimed directly at the
sensors in the interior rear view mirror.
The interior rear view mirror and the exterior
rear view mirror on the driver’s side do not
react, for example, if the rear window sun-
shade is in raised position.
Light hitting the mirror(s) at certain angles
(incident light) could blind you. As a result,
you may not be able to observe traffic con-
ditions and could cause an accident.
Warning!
G
Exercise care when using the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror. The mirror
surface is convex (outwardly curved surface
for a wider field of view). Objects in mirror
are closer than they appear. Check your in-
side rear view mirror or glance over your
shoulder before changing lanes.

391 Controls in detail
Mirrors
Activating exterior rear view mirror parking position
Follow these steps to activate the mirror
parking position so that the passen-
ger-side exterior rear view mirror will be
turned downward to the stored position.
Make sure you have stored a parking
position for the passenger-side exterior
rear view mirror (
page 394).

Make sure the “Lower mirror when re-
versing” function in the “Exterior Mirror
Convenience Settings” submenu of the
COMAND system is selected
(page 266).

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).1Selector switch for right or left exterior
mirror

Press switch1 repeatedly until the
exterior mirror on the front passenger
side is selected.

Shift the automatic transmission in re-
verse gearR.
The passenger-side exterior rear view
mirror will be turned downward to the
stored position.
The exterior rear view mirror returns to its
previously stored driving position:


when you switch off the ignition


10 seconds after you have put the au-
tomatic transmission out of reverse
gearR


immediately once your vehicle exceeds
a speed of approximately 6 mph
(10 km/h)


immediately when you press button1
for driver’s side exterior rear view mir-
ror.
i
With the automatic transmission in reverse
gearR, the previously selected exterior rear
view mirror is activated.
i
If you adjust the exterior mirrors while they
are in the parking position, the new mirror posi-
tion is stored as a new parking position.

392 Controls in detailMemory functionPrior to operating the vehicle, the driver
should check and adjust the seat height,
seat position fore and aft, and seat back-
rest angle if necessary, to ensure adequate
control, reach, and comfort. The head re-
straint should also be adjusted for proper
height. See also the section on air bags
(page 42) for proper seat positioning.
In addition, adjust the steering wheel to
ensure adequate control, reach, operation
and comfort. Both the interior and exterior
rear view mirrors should be adjusted for
adequate rear vision.
Fasten seat belts. Infants and small chil-
dren should be seated in a properly se-
cured restraint system that complies with
U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards 213 and 225 and Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards 213 and
210.2.With the memory function you can store up
to three different configurations.
Each stored position on the driver’s side
includes the following settings:


Driver’s seat: head restraint height,
seat and backrest position, backrest
curvature in lumbar area


Multicontour seat*: sides of backrest,
backrest curvature in lumbar and
shoulder area


Drive-dynamic multicontour seat*:
activation/deactivation


Steering wheel position


Exterior rear view mirrors positionWarning!
G
Do not activate the memory function while
driving. Activating the memory function
while driving could cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.
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.
Even with the SmartKey or 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. Therefore, 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.