2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class ESP

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.

401 Controls in detail
Lighting

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
position*.
With the SmartKey in starter switch po-
sition 1 or the KEYLESS-GO*
start/stop button pressed once, the
tail and parking lamps, the license
plate lamps and the side marker lamps
will switch on and off depending on the
brightness of the ambient light.
When the engine is running the low
beam headlamps, the tail and parking
lamps, the license plate lamps and the
side marker lamps will switch on and
off depending on the brightness of the
ambient light.Daytime running lamp mode
In Canada the daytime running lamp mode
is mandatory and therefore in a constant
mode.
By default, the daytime running lamp mode
is deactivated. Activate the daytime run-
ning lamp mode using the control system,
see “Setting daytime running lamp mode
(USA only)” (
page 306).

Turn exterior lamp switch to
positionM or*.
When the engine is running, the low
beam headlamps are switched on.
In low ambient light conditions, the fol-
lowing lamps will switch on additional-
ly:

Tail and parking lamps


License plate lamps


Side marker lampsCanada only
When the engine is running, and you shift
from a driving position to neutral
positionN or park positionP, with the ve-
hicle at a standstill the low beam head-
lamps will switch off with a delay of 3
minutes.
When the engine is running, and you


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC, the low beam head-
lamps, the tail and parking lamps, the
license plate lamps and the side mark-
er lamps switch on.


turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionB, the manual headlamp
mode has priority over the daytime run-
ning lamp mode.
The automatic headlamp feature is only an
aid to the driver. The driver is responsible for
the operation of the vehicle’s lights at all
times.i
Canada only:
High beam headlamps are only available with the
exterior lamp switch in positionB.
i
With the daytime running lamp mode activat-
ed and the engine running, the low beam head-
lamps cannot be switched off manually.
i
With the exterior lamp switch in position
M or *, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving you should turn the exterior
lamp switch to positionB to permit activa-
tion of the high beam headlamps.

402 Controls in detailLighting
The corresponding exterior lamps
switch on (
page 399).
USA only
When the engine is running, and you turn
the exterior lamp switch to position C
orB, the manual headlamp mode has
priority over the daytime running lamp
mode.
The corresponding exterior lamps switch
on (
page 399).Locator lighting and night security illu-
mination
The locator lighting and night security illu-
mination are described in the COMAND ve-
hicle section under “Setting locator
lighting” (
page 265) and “Setting night
security illumination” (
page 264).
Fog lampsFront fog lamps

Turn the exterior lamp switch to
positionC orB (
page 399).

Pull out exterior lamp switch to first
stop.
The front fog lamps are switched on.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
exterior lamp switch comes on
(page 399).

Push in the exterior lamp switch.
The front fog lamps are switched off.
The green indicator lamp‡ in the
exterior lamp switch goes out.
i
With the daytime running lamp mode
activated and the exterior lamp switch in
position M, you cannot switch on the high
beam headlamps.
The high beam flasher is available at all times.
For nighttime driving you should turn the exterior
lamp switch to positionB or * to permit
activation of the high beam headlamps.
Warning!
G
In low ambient lighting or foggy conditions,
only switch from position * to B with
the vehicle at a standstill in a safe location.
Switching from * to B will briefly
switch off the headlamps. Doing so while
driving in low ambient lighting conditions
may result in an accident.i
Fog lamps will operate with the parking
lamps and/or the low beam headlamps on. Fog
lamps should only be used in conjunction with
low beam headlamps. Consult your State or
Province Motor Vehicle Regulations regarding
permissible lamp operation.
i
Fog lamps cannot be switched on manually
with exterior lamp switch in position*. To
activate the fog lamps, turn exterior lamp switch
to positionB first.

405 Controls in detail
Lighting
Switching off the corner-illuminating
lamps
The combination switch for the turn signal
resets automatically after major steering
wheel movements. This will switch off the
corner-illuminating lamps if they were acti-
vated by switching on the left or right turn
signal.
If the turn signal should stay on after mak-
ing the turn, the turn signal and corner-illu-
minating lamp can be switched off by
returning the combination switch to its
original position.
Hazard warning flasher
The hazard warning flasher can be
switched on at all times, even with the
SmartKey removed from the starter switch
or with the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
removed from the vehicle.
The hazard warning flasher is automatical-
ly switched on if

an air bag has been triggered


S 600 and S 65 AMG, USA only: you
brake the vehicle strongly at a speed of
more than 50 mph (70 km/h) and
bring it to a complete stop
1Hazard warning flasher switch

Switching on: Press hazard warning
flasher switch.
All turn signals will flash.

Switching off: Press hazard warning
flasher switch again.
i
If you are driving faster than 25 mph
(40 km/h) when activating the turn signal indica-
tor, the corner-illuminating lamp function is
switched off.
i
The corner-illuminating lamp may remain lit
for a short time. The corner-illuminating lamp
lights up for no more than 20 seconds with the
vehicle standing still. It is then switched off even
if the turn signal is still switched on or you have
turned the steering wheel to full lock.
i
With the hazard warning flasher activated
and the combination switch set for either left or
right turn, only the respective left or right turn
signals will operate when the SmartKey in the
starter switch is in position1 or2 or the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button (
page 372) is
pressed once or twice.
i
If the hazard warning flasher was activated
automatically, also press hazard warning flasher
switch 1 to switch off the hazard warning flash-
er.

407 Controls in detail
Lighting
The interior lighting switches off auto-
matically following an adjustable time
delay (
page 270).
Manual control

Switching on/off front interior light-
ing: Press button 3.

Switching on/off rear interior light-
ing: Press button 2.
The front reading lamps reading lamps are
located in the lower edge of the interior
rear view mirror.

Switching on/off front reading
lamps: Press button 1 or 5.

Ambient lighting: The brightness of
the ambient lighting is adjusted via
COMAND (
page 269).Interior lighting in the rear
1Rear interior lamp
2Button
3Reading lamp

Press button2.
You can switch the lamps on/off in
succession as follows:

reading lamp3 and rear interior
lamp1 on


only reading lamp3 on


reading lamp3 off
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the cor-
responding door entry lamps will switch on
in darkness when you open a door and the
automatic control is activated.
The door entry lamps switch off when the
corresponding door is closed.Trunk lamp
The trunk lamp switches on if the trunk is
opened.
If the trunk remains open, the trunk light-
ing switches off automatically after ap-
proximately 10 minutes.
i
If the door remains open, the interior lighting
switches off automatically after approximately
5minutes.
i
If you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the exterior
headlamps, the door entry lamps will remain lit
for approximately 5 minutes.

410 Controls in detailPower windowsOpening and closing power windows
The door windows are opened and closed
electrically. The switches

for all door windows are on the driver’s
door


for the front passenger side window
are on the front passenger door


for each rear side window are on the
rear doors1Left front door window
2Right front door window
3Left rear door window
4Right rear door window
Warning!
G
Do not keep any part of your body up against
the side window pane when opening a win-
dow. The downward motion of the pane may
pull that part of your body down between
the window pane and the door frame and
trap it there. If there is a risk of entrapment,
release the switch and press it again to
close the window.
Warning!
G
When closing the windows, make sure that
there is no danger of anyone being harmed
by the closing procedure.
Activate the override switch (
page 64)
when children are riding in the back seats of
the vehicle. The children may otherwise in-
jure themselves, e.g. by becoming trapped
in the window opening.
The closing of the door windows can be im-
mediately halted by releasing the switch or,
if the switch was pressed past the resis-
tance point and released, by pressing the
lower part of the respective switch again.
The door windows are equipped with the ex-
press-close and automatic reversal func-
tion. If the window encounters an
obstruction that blocks its path in a circum-
stance where you pressed the switch past
the resistance point and released it to close
the window, the automatic reversal function
will stop the window and open it slightly.