2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class ESP

496 Controls in detailDriving systemsSensor monitoring range
Blind Spot Assist is able to monitor a range
up to three meters to the rear and both
sides of the vehicle.
The Blind Spot Assist sensors are built into
t h e f r o n t a n d r e a r b u m p e r s . M a k e s u r e t h a t
the area of the bumpers around the sen-
sors is free of dirt, ice and snow. The radar
sensors must not be obstructed, for exam-
ple, by bicycle carriers or overhanging lug-
gage.
Warning!
G
Blind Spot Assist monitors certain areas in
the immediate vicinity of your vehicle. Vehi-
cles approaching and passing at increased
speeds will not be detected. There will be no
warning display and no audible warning.
When driving in a very wide lane, the sensors
may not be able to cover the entire width of
the neighboring lane. Vehicles driving on the
outside of the neighboring lane may not be
detected.
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.
When driving in a very narrow lane, the sen-
sors may detect and display vehicles in the
second lane over. This will be the case if
there are vehicles driving on the inside edge
of their lane.!
In the event of a significant impact or dam-
age affecting the bumpers, have the radar sen-
sors checked by a qualified specialist workshop
such as a Mercedes-Benz Center. Failure to do
this can result in Blind Spot Assist not function-
ing correctly.

497 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Indicator and warning lamps
1Yellow indicator lamp/red warning
lamp
Switching on: Make sure that the ra-
dar sensors (
page 307) and Blind
Spot Assist (
page 304) are switched
on.
With the ignition switched on, the warn-
ing lamp1 in the exterior mirror lights
up red.
With the engine running, the indicator
lamp1 in the exterior mirror lights up
yellow up to a speed of 20 mph
(30 km/h).Once a speed above 20 mph (30 km/h)
has been reached and


Blind Spot Assist detects no vehicle in
its range, the indicator lamp1 goes
out


Blind Spot Assist detects another vehi-
cle in its range, the warning lamp1 on
the corresponding side of the vehicle
turns red.Collision warning
If a vehicle is detected in the Blind Spot As-
sist range and you activate the turn signal,
a two-tone warning will sound and the red
warning lamp1 will flash.

Remain on the lane that you are cur-
rently on until traffic conditions permit
to change.
If the turn signal remains on, the red warn-
ing lamp1 will flash to indicate that vehi-
cles have been detected. No further
audible warnings will sound.
Warning!
G
Blind Spot Assist is not active at speeds be-
low approximately 20 mph (30 km/h). You
will not be alerted to the presence of vehi-
cles in the monitored area at these speeds.
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.
Warning!
G
Do not change lanes or make turns, while
the red warning lamp
1
is flashing. Doing
so could result in an accident and seroius in-
jury to yourself and others.

504 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlDeactivating
Press buttonU (
page 501) up or
down.
or

Adjust air distribution (
page 275).
or

Adjust air volume (
page 504).
The indicator lamp on buttonU
goes out. The automatic function is
switched off.
You can adjust the air distribution
(
page 275) or air volume
(page 504) manually.
Setting temperature
Use temperature controls %$
2anda (
page 501) in the center con-
sole or COMAND (
page 274) to sepa-
rately adjust the air temperature on each
side of the passenger compartment. You
should raise or lower the temperature set-
ting in small increments, preferably start-
ing at 72°F (22°C). The automatic climate
control will adjust to the set temperature
as fast as possible.

Press temperature control %$
2and/ora (
page 501) upward or
downward.
The climate control system will corre-
spondingly adjust the interior air tem-
perature.
Adjusting air volume
Use buttonsQ (
page 501) in the cen-
ter console or COMAND to separately ad-
just the air volume on each side of the
passenger compartment.

Press buttonQ up to increase or
down to decrease air volume.
The indicator lamps on buttonsU
(page 501) goes out.
The automatic function is switched off.
The air volume is adjusted correspond-
ing to the set blower speed.
Front defroster
You can use this setting to defrost the
windshield, for example if it is iced up. You
can also defog the windshield and the door
windows.i
Keep this setting selected only until the
windshield is clear again.

506 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlRear window defroster
Activating
Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Press button< (
page 501) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.
Deactivating

Press button< (
page 501) up or
down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL (USA only)
If U is selected on both the left and
right side and there is a high demand for
cooling, the display “MAXCOOL” appears
in the COMAND display.
This provides the fastest possible cooling
of the vehicle interior (when windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof or tilt/sliding panel*
are closed).
Air recirculation mode
Switch to air recirculation mode to prevent
unpleasant odors from entering the vehicle
from the outside (e.g. before driving in a
tunnel). This setting cuts off the intake of
outside air and recirculates the air in the
passenger compartment.
!
The rear window defroster uses a large
amount of power. To keep battery drain to a min-
imum, switch off the defroster as soon as the
rear window is clear.
i
The defroster is automatically deactivated
after some time of operation depending on the
outside temperature.
Warning!
G
Any accumulation of snow and ice should be
removed from the rear window before driv-
ing. Visibility could otherwise be impaired,
endangering you and others.i
If the rear window defroster switches off too
soon and the indicator lamp goes out, this indi-
cates that too many electrical consumers are op-
erating simultaneously and the load on the
battery is reducing available voltage. The system
responds automatically by deactivating the rear
window defroster.
i
Maximum cooling MAXCOOL is only avail-
able when the engine is running.Warning!
G
Fogged windows impair visibility, endanger-
ing you and others. If the windows begin to
fog on the inside, switching off the air
recirculation mode immediately should clear
interior window fogging. If interior window
fogging persists, make sure the air
conditioning (
page 276) is activated, or
press button;.

507 Controls in detail
Automatic climate control

Activating: Press button,
(page 501) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button
comes on.

Deactivating: Press button,
(page 501) up or down.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out.Air recirculation mode with conve-
nience closing or opening feature
i
The air recirculation mode is activated auto-
matically at high outside temperatures.
The indicator lamp on button, is not lit when
the air recirculation mode is automatically acti-
vated.
A quantity of outside air is added when the cool-
ing demand is not at maximum.
If the air conditioning has been turned off
(
page 276) or the outside temperature is be-
low 41°F (5°C), the air recirculation mode will
not switch on automatically.
i
The manually selected air recirculation
mode is deactivated automatically:


after 5 minutes if the outside temperature is
below approximately 41°F (5°C)


after 5 minutes if the air conditioning is
turned off


after 30 minutes if the outside temperature
is above approximately 41°F (5°C)
Warning!
G
Never operate the door windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof or tilt/sliding panel* if
there is the possibility of anyone being
harmed by the closing procedure.
Vehicles with tilt/sliding sunroof:
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the door win-
dows can be immediately halted by pressing
the respective window switch. The closing of
the tilt/sliding sunroof can be immediately
halted by moving the tilt/sliding sunroof
switch in the overhead control panel in any
direction.


508 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlVehicles with tilt/sliding sunroof
Convenience closing: Press
button
,
for approximately
2 seconds.
The door windows and/or tilt/sliding
sunroof will close. You can release
button
,
once the closing proce-dure has begun. The windows and
tilt/sliding sunroof continue closing
until they are fully closed. The indicator
lamp on the button comes on. The air
recirculation mode is activated.

Convenience opening: Press
button
,
for approximately
2 seconds.
The door windows and/or tilt/sliding
sunroof will return to their previous po-
sition. You can release button
,
once the opening procedure has be-
gun. The windows and tilt/sliding sun-
roof continue opening until they have
reached their previous positions. The
indicator lamp on the button goes out.
The air recirculation mode is deactivat-
ed.Vehicles with panorama roof*

Convenience closing: Press and hold
button
,
until the door windows and
the tilt/sliding panel are closed or have
reached the desired position. The indi-
cator lamp on the button comes on.
The air recirculation mode is activated.

Convenience opening: Press and hold
button
,
until the door windows and
the tilt/sliding panel are opened or
have reached the desired position.
The indicator lamp on the button goes
out. The air recirculation mode is deac-
tivated.
Vehicles with panorama roof*:
When using the air recirculation mode with
convenience closing feature, should the up-
ward movement of a window be blocked by
some obstruction including, but not limited
to arms, hands, fingers, etc., the automatic
reversal feature will not operate.
In the event that the procedure causes po-
tential danger, the closing of the door win-
dows or the tilt/sliding panel can be
immediately halted by releasing
button,.
The closing of the door windows and the
tilt/sliding sunroof or tilt/sliding panel* can
be reversed by again pressing and holding
button,.
i
A window or tilt/sliding sunroof will only re-
turn to its previous position if it has not been
moved to another position using the respective
window switch or tilt/sliding sunroof switch af-
ter it was closed with button,.
A window or tilt/sliding sunroof that has been
moved will remain in its current position if
button, is used to reopen the remaining
windows or tilt/sliding sunroof.


510 Controls in detailAutomatic climate controlAutomatic climate control panel, rear

Switching on automatic mode: Press
button 4 (
page 510) up or down re-
peatedly until “AUTO” mode is selected
in display.

Switching off rear climate control:
Press button 4 (
page 510) up or
down repeatedly until “OFF” mode is
selected in display.

Switching off automatic mode: Press
button 4 (
page 510) up or down re-
peatedly until “MAN” mode is selected
in display.

Setting temperature: Use tempera-
ture controls 1and6 (
page 510)
to separately adjust the air tempera-
ture on each side of the rear passenger
compartment.

Increasing/decreasing: Press
temperature control 1 or 6 up or
down.
The climate control system will cor-
respondingly adjust the interior air
temperature.

Adjusting air distribution: Press but-
ton 2 or 5 (
page 510) up or down
repeatedly until desired air distribution
is set.
The direction of the arrows represent
the air distribution. “MAN” appears in
the display over the button for the func-
tion mode.

Adjusting air volume: Press air vol-
ume control 3 (
page 510) up or
down.
The air volume is increased or de-
creased. “MAN” appears in the display
over the button for the function mode.
Item
1
Temperature control, left
2
Air distribution, left
(automatic, manual)
3
Air volume (automatic, manual)
4
Mode selector
5
Air distribution, right
(automatic, manual)
6
Temperature control, right
i
At low outside temperatures or if you have
switched off the cooling function, you cannot
cool the rear passenger compartment.
i
If the climate control system in the rear pas-
senger compartment is adjusted using COMAND
(
page 279), the) symbol appears in the
display of the rear control unit. The rear climate
control system can no longer be adjusted using
the rear control unit.

513 Controls in detailTrunk
Closing trunk from outside manually
1Handles
Lower trunk lid by pulling firmly on
handles1.

Close the trunk with hands placed flat
on the trunk lid.
The power closing assist automatically en-
sures that the trunk lid is pulled closed
completely (
page 368).Closing trunk from outside
automatically*
The vehicle is only locked when the turn signals
flash three times. If you are carrying a second
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* with you, you can
still lock the vehicle.
Warning!
G
To prevent possible personal injury, always
keep hands and fingers away from the trunk
lid opening when closing the trunk. Be espe-
cially careful when small children are
around.
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. Do not leave children unat-
tended in the vehicle, or with access to an
unlocked vehicle. A child’s unsupervised ac-
cess to a vehicle could result in an accident
and/or serious personal injury.
Warning!
G
Monitor the closing procedure carefully to
make sure no one is in danger of being in-
jured. To prevent possible personal injury,
always keep hands and fingers away from
the trunk lid opening when closing the trunk.
Be especially careful when small children
are around. To stop the closing procedure,
do one of the following:

press button Š on the SmartKey or
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*


press the trunk opening/closing*
switch (on the driver’s door)