2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class ESP

477 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Park Assist is an electronic parking aid
with radar sensors that helps you while
parking.When travelling in Canada in a vehicle not
registered in Canada, you must switch off
the radar sensor system. Canadian law
does not permit the use of the radar sensor
system for vehicles from outside of Cana-
da. When you switch off the radar sensor
system, the following functions are deacti-
vated:


BAS Plus* (
page 70)


PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (
page 77)


DISTRONIC Plus* (
page 451)


Park Assist* (
page 476)


Advanced Parking Guidance*
(page 481)


Blind Spot Assist* (
page 495)
It visually and audibly indicates the relative
distance between the vehicle and an ob-
stacle.
i
USA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as a
“Vehicular Radar System”. The radar sensor is
intended for use in an automotive radar system
only. Removal, tampering, or altering of the de-
vice will void any warranties, and is not permitted
by the FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
i
Canada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device will
void any warranties, and is not permitted. Do not
tamper with, alter, or use in any non-approved
way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
!
The operational function of the Park Assist
system can be affected by dirty sensors, espe-
cially at times of snow and ice.
Make sure that the area on the bumpers around
the sensors is free of dirt, ice and/or slush,
otherwise Park Assist may not function properly,
see “Cleaning the driving systems sensors”
(
page 620).
!
High-frequency sources such as toll sta-
tions, speed measuring systems, etc. can cause
the Park Assist system to malfunction. You can
switch off the Park Assist using the Park Assist
button (
page 480) or switch off the radar sen-
sors (
page 307) to prevent possible malfunc-
tion.

480 Controls in detailDriving systems

Front area:
As soon as the first red segment lights
up, you will hear an intermittent warn-
ing tone for approximately two sec-
onds. Once the second red segment
lights up, you will hear a continuous
warning tone. You have reached the
minimum distance.


Rear area:
As soon as the first red segment lights
up, you will hear an intermittent warn-
ing tone for approximately two sec-
onds. Once the second red segment
lights up, you will hear a continuous
warning tone. You have reached the
minimum distance.Collision warning
Park Assist can detect obstacles from a
considerable distance. If you drive in re-
verse towards an obstacle, you will hear a
warning tone. You must then brake in or-
der to avoid a collision. The warning tone
for a collision will not sound when the vehi-
cle is at a standstill very close to the obsta-
cle. In this case, you will hear a
corresponding tone for the warning indica-
tor in the rear area.Switching Park Assist system on/off
The Park Assist system can be switched off
manually.
The Park Assist button with the indicator
lamp is located on the control panel on the
right-hand side of the instrument cluster.
1Park Assist button
2Indicator lamp
i
During strong rainfall, the warning indicators
and warning tones may be triggered, for exam-
ple, by water splashing into the area of the sen-
sors.
i
During strong rainfall, the collision warning
may be triggered, for example, by water splash-
ing into the area of the sensors.
i
When the indicator lamp is on, the Park
Assist system is switched off.

481 Controls in detail
Driving systems

Switching off Park Assist system:
Press button 1.
Indicator lamp 2 comes on.

Switching on Park Assist system:
Press button 1 again.
Indicator lamp 2 goes out.
Advanced Parking Guidance*
Advanced Parking Guidance is an electron-
ic parking aid equipped with radar sensors
that scan the area on both sides of vehicle.
When suitable parking space is found it is
shown in the display and you receive steer-
ing instructions for parking in that space.
i
The Park Assist system is automatically
switched on when the ignition (
page 370) and
radar sensors are switched on (page 307).
Warning!
G
Advanced Parking Guidance is only an aid
and may display parking spaces that are not
suitable e.g. due to parking regulations, un-
suitable road/ground surfaces, driveways,
entrances/exits, etc.
Advanced Parking Guidance only shows a
representation of the parking space in the
instrument cluster display as parking space
is first initially measured when driving past.
Subsequent changes to the parking space
are not taken into account, e.g. if the posi-
tion of the vehicle parked in front of or be-
hind the space changes or objects in the
parking space are moved. Moving objects
are not shown, e.g. pedestrians or vehicles
driving past. Advanced Parking Guidance
does not relieve you of the responsibility to
pay attention. If you only rely on Advanced
Parking Guidance, you may cause an acci-
dent and injure yourself and others.
You are always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to your im-
mediate surroundings when parking and
maneuvering.

482 Controls in detailDriving systems
Use Advanced Parking Guidance for park-
ing spaces that are

parallel to the direction of travel


located on straight streets, i.e. not in
curves


on the same level as the street, i.e. not
on sidewalks, for example. Flat curbs
may possibly not be detected by Ad-
vanced Parking Guidance.
Parking instructions:


On narrow streets, drive by the parking
space as close as possible.


Parking spaces that are dirty, over-
grown or located in front of trailers may
not be detected correctly.


Also observe the Park Assist warning
indicator (
page 479) while Advanced
Parking Guidance is active.
Warning!
G
Make sure no persons or animals are in the
area in which you are maneuvering. You
could otherwise injure them.!
Special attention must be paid to objects
with smooth surfaces or low silhouettes (e.g.
trailer couplings, painted posts, elevated cross-
bars or road curbs). Such objects may not be de-
tected by the system and can damage the
vehicle.
i
USA only:
This device has been approved by the FCC as a
“Vehicular Radar System”. The radar sensor is
intended for use in an automotive radar system
only. Removal, tampering, or altering of the de-
vice will void any warranties, and is not permitted
by the FCC. Do not tamper with, alter, or use in
any non-approved way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
i
Canada only:
This device complies with RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the following
two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
Removal, tampering, or altering of the device will
void any warranties, and is not permitted. Do not
tamper with, alter, or use in any non-approved
way.
Any unauthorized modification to this device
could void the user’s authority to operate the
equipment.
!
The operation and functionality of the Ad-
vanced Parking Guidance* can be affected or im-
paired by dirty sensors, especially at times of
snow and ice.
Make sure that the area on the bumpers around
the sensors is free of dirt, ice and/or slush, oth-
erwise Advanced Parking Guidance* may not
function properly, see “Cleaning the driving sys-
tems sensors” (
page 620).

484 Controls in detailDriving systemsA parking space is shown in the display
when driving by until you have reached a
distance of 50 ft (15 m) from the space.
Advanced Parking Guidance only shows
parking spaces on the front-passenger
side of the vehicle unless you activate the
driver's side (left) turn signal. If you would
like to park on the driver's side, the left
turn signal must remain on until reverse
gear is engaged.Parking
The following describes how you can park
on the front-passenger side. Parking on
the driver's side is performed reversed left
to right.
If Advanced Parking Guidance detects an
obstacle behind the vehicle during the
parking procedure, you will hear an audible
warning. Stop the vehicle immediately. The
parking space and the lane blink in the in-
strument cluster. Only continue driv-
ing/parking after you have made sure that
this is possible to do in a safe manner. If
Advanced Parking Guidance no longer de-
tects any obstacles, the display in the in-
strument cluster stops blinking. You may
continue the parking procedure.

Bring the vehicle to a standstill as long
as the desired parking space is dis-
played by the blue parking space sym-
bol in the instrument cluster.

Shift the automatic transmission to
positionR.
The message “Check Surroundings
Press 'OK' to Confirm” appears in the
multifunction display.Warning!
G
Advanced Parking Guidance is only an aid
and may not detect all obstacles. At corners
or near smooth surfaces, Advanced Parking
Guidance may not detect an object correct-
ly. Advanced Parking Guidance does not re-
lieve you of the responsibility to pay
attention. You are always responsible for
safety and must continue to pay attention to
your immediate surroundings when parking
and maneuvering. Otherwise, you could en-
danger yourself and others.

488 Controls in detailDriving systemsView through the camerai
The image from the Rear View Camera is
shown mirror-inverted on the COMAND display
(
page 31).Warning!
G
Please note that objects which do not touch
the ground, such as the bumper of a vehicle
parked behind you, a trailer hitch, or the
back of a truck, may appear to be further
away than they actually are. In this case, you
should not use the guide lines to judge dis-
tance. The use of the guide lines to judge
distance increases the risk of impacting the
objects.
Warning!
G
The Rear View Camera is a supplement sys-
tem. It is not intended to, nor does it re-
place, the need for extreme care. The
responsibility during parking and other driv-
ing maneuvers always remains with the driv-
er.
The Rear View Camera may show obstacles
with a distorted perspective, incorrectly or
not at all.
Special attention must be paid to objects
outside of the camera’s field of view such as
those located very close to or below the rear
bumper, or above the recessed grip of the
luggage compartment lid. Such objects may
not be detected by the system and can dam-
age the vehicle.
The Rear View Camera does not warn you
about impending collisions with objects. The
driver is always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to the imme-
diate surroundings while parking or maneu-
vering the vehicle. This applies not only to
the area behind the vehicle, but also to the
area in front of and to the sides of the vehi-
cle. Failure to do so could result in injury to
persons and/or damage to the vehicle or
other property. We also recommend that the
driver uses the Parktronic system* or Park
Assist* when parking or maneuvering the
vehicle.

491 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Night View Assist*
Night View Assist illuminates the road with
infrared light in addition to the normal
headlamps.
A camera at the top of the windshield mea-
sures the infrared light and shows a
black-and-white image on the multifunc-
tion display. The image on the multifunction display cor-
responds to a road lit up by high-beam
headlamps.
The Night View Assist image on the multi-
function display is not impaired


by the headlamps of approaching vehi-
cles


if you cannot switch on the high beams
due to oncoming traffic
As a result, you can better follow the
course of the road and detect obstacles
earlier on.The camera is at the top of the windshield.
1Night View Assist camera
Switching on or off
You can only switch on the Night View As-
sist if


the SmartKey in the starter switch is
set to position2


it is dark
Warning!
G
Night View Assist is only an aid to support
you while driving and cannot substitute your
careful attention. Do not rely on the display
of the Night View Assist; instead, continue
to look through the windshield. You are al-
ways responsible for safety and must drive
in accordance with traffic conditions. Other-
wise, you could endanger yourself and oth-
ers.
If it is foggy, raining or snowing, the clarity of
the Night View Assist image on the multi-
function display may be diminished.
Warning!
G
Night View Assist cannot record objects im-
mediately in front of or next to the vehicle.
When maneuvering, continue to look
through the windshield. Make sure no per-
sons or animals are in the area in which you
are maneuvering. You could otherwise in-
jure them.
i
Infrared light is invisible to the human eye
and can therefore remain permanently switched
on without blinding oncoming traffic.

495 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Blind Spot Assist*
Blind Spot Assist uses radar sensors to
monitor the area on both sides of your ve-
hicle. It will assist you when you change
lanes driving at speeds of above 20 mph
(30 km/h). A warning will appear on the
outside rear view mirror as soon as anoth-
er vehicle is detected in the area being
monitored. If you then activate the corre-
sponding turn signals to change lanes, you
will see and hear a collision warning. Blind
Spot Assist operates using two sensors in
the front bumper and four sensors in the
rear bumper.In order for Blind Spot Assist to function,
the radar sensors must be switched on and
operational.
When travelling in Canada in a vehicle not
registered in Canada, you must switch off
the radar sensor system. Canadian law
does not permit the use of the radar sensor
system for vehicles from outside of Cana-
da. When you switch off the radar sensor
system, the following functions are deacti-
vated:


BAS Plus* (
page 70)


PRE-SAFE
® Brake* (
page 77)


DISTRONIC Plus* (
page 451)


Park Assist* (
page 476)


Advanced Parking Guidance*
(page 481)


Blind Spot Assist* (
page 495)
Warning!
G
Blind Spot Assist is only a driving aid and
may not detect all vehicles. It is the driver’s
responsibility at all times to be attentive to
road, weather and traffic conditions and to
provide the steering, braking and other driv-
ing inputs necessary to retain control of the
vehicle. Failure to do so could result in
recognizing dangers too late, possibly re-
sulting in an accident and serious injury to
yourself and others.
Warning!
G
Blind Spot Assist cannot detect road and
traffic conditions.
Blind Spot Assist may not be able to detect
narrow vehicles such as motorcycles or bi-
cycles, or it may not detect them until it is
too late.
The monitoring function may be impaired if
your sensors are dirty, subject to heavy
spray, or if visibility is poor due to e.g. snow,
rain, or fog. This can result in vehicles not
being detected or being detected too late.
It is the driver’s responsibility at all times to
be attentive to road, weather and traffic con-
ditions and to provide the steering, braking
and other driving inputs necessary to retain
control of the vehicle. Failure to do so could
result in recognizing dangers too late, possi-
bly resulting in an accident and serious inju-
ry to yourself and others.