2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class warning

442 Controls in detailAutomatic transmissionIf you are driving in the manual program
modeM, upshift indicator2 in the multi-
function display advises you to upshift be-
fore the engine reaches the overspeed
range. Thus you can drive at the maximum
engine speed for each gear without over-
revving the engine.
1Gear indicator
2Upshift indicator “up”
3Engine oil temperature
4Vehicle supply voltage
Shift to the next higher gear.
The fuel supply will otherwise be inter-
rupted to prevent the engine from over-
revving.Downshifting

Briefly pull left shift paddle1
(page 438).
The transmission shifts to the next
lower gear.Kickdown
Using the kickdown when driving in the
manual program modeM is not possible.
Deactivating manual shift program

Press the program mode selector
switch (
page 440) repeatedly until
“C”or“S” appears in the multifunction
display.
or

Restart the engine.
The transmission will go to the
automatic program mode (C orS).
The manual program modeM is not
stored.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced
vehicle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not
prevent this type of loss of control.i
When you brake or stop, the transmission
shifts down to a gear from which you can easily
accelerate or drive off.


444 Controls in detailInstrument clusterA full view illustration of the instrument
cluster can be found in the “At a glance”
section of this manual (
page 28).
The instrument cluster is activated when
you:


open a door


switch on the ignition (
page 370)


switch on the exterior lamps
The language setting for the multifunction
display can be changed via COMAND
(
page 262).Adjusting instrument cluster display
illumination
1Knob

Brightening illumination: Turn
knob1 clockwise.

Dimming illumination: Turn knob1
counterclockwise.
Coolant temperature gauge
The coolant temperature gauge is on the
left side in the instrument cluster
(page 28).
Warning!
G
No messages will be displayed if either the
instrument cluster or the multifunction dis-
play is inoperative.
As a result, you will not be able to see infor-
mation about your driving conditions, such
as speed or outside temperature, warning/
indicator lamps, malfunction/warning mes-
sages or the failure of any systems. Driving
characteristics may be impaired.
If you must continue to drive, please do so
with added caution. Contact an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as possible.i
The instrument cluster illumination is
dimmed or brightened automatically to suit am-
bient light conditions.
The instrument cluster illumination will also be
adjusted automatically when you switch on the
vehicle’s exterior lamps.
Warning!
G


Driving when your engine is overheated
can cause some fluids which may have
leaked into the engine compartment to
catch fire. You could be seriously
burned.


Steam from an overheated engine can
cause serious burns and can occur just
by opening the hood. Stay away from
the engine if you see or hear steam com-
ing from it.
Stop the vehicle in a safe location away from
other traffic. Turn off the engine, get out

445 Controls in detail
Instrument cluster
Tachometer
The red marking on the tachometer de-
notes excessive engine speed.To help protect the engine, the fuel supply
is interrupted if the engine is operated
within the red marking.
Outside temperature indicator
The outside temperature indicator is on
the bottom left-hand side of the instru-
ment cluster (
page 28).
The temperature sensor is located in the
front bumper area. Due to its location, the
sensor can be affected by road or engine
heat during idling or slow driving. There-
fore, the accuracy of the displayed temper-ature can only be verified by comparison to
a thermometer placed next to the sensor,
not by comparison to external displays
(e.g. bank signs, etc.).
When moving the vehicle into colder ambi-
ent temperatures (e.g. when leaving your
garage), you will notice a delay before the
lower temperature is displayed.
A delay also occurs when ambient temper-
atures rise. This prevents inaccurate tem-
perature indications caused by heat
radiated from the engine during idling or
slow driving.
Fuel gauge
The fuel gauge is on the left-hand side of
the instrument cluster (
page 28). Once
the fuel level has fallen below the reserve
mark, the yellow segment indicator for the
fuel reserve comes on.
of the vehicle and do not stand near the ve-
hicle until the engine has cooled down.!
Excessive coolant temperature triggers a
warning in the multifunction display
(
page 680).
The engine should not be operated with the cool-
ant temperature above 248°F (120°C), i.e. in
the red zone of the coolant temperature gauge.
Doing so may cause serious engine damage
which is not covered by the Mercedes-Benz Lim-
ited Warranty.
i
During severe operating conditions,
e.g. stop-and-go traffic, the coolant temperature
may rise close to 248°F (120°C), i.e. close to
the red zone of the temperature gauge.
!
Avoid driving at excessive engine speeds, as
it may result in serious engine damage that is not
covered by the Mercedes-Benz Limited
Warranty.
Warning!
G
The outside temperature indicator is not de-
s i g n e d t o s e r v e a s a n i c e - w a r n i n g d e v i c e a n d
is therefore unsuitable for that purpose.
Indicated temperatures just above the freez-
ing point do not guarantee that the road sur-
face is free of ice. The road may still be icy,
especially in wooded areas or on bridges.

446 Controls in detailDriving systemsThe driving systems of your vehicle are de-
scribed on the following pages:

Cruise control (
page 446) and
DISTRONIC Plus*(page 451), with
which the vehicle can maintain a preset
speed.


Airmatic (
page 468) and ABC*
(
page 470) adjust the vehicle sus-
pension characteristics automatically
and control the vehicle level.


Parktronic* (
page 472), Park Assist*
(
page 476) and Advanced Parking
Guidance* (
page 481), which serve
as a parking assistant.


Rear View Camera* (
page 487) is an
electronic and visual parking aid.


Night View Assist* (
page 491) illumi-
nates the road with infrared light in ad-
dition to the normal headlamps.


Blind Spot Assist* (
page 495) de-
tects and warns you about vehicles in
your blind spot.For information on the ABS, Adaptive
Brake, BAS, BAS Plus*, EBP, ESP
® and
PRE-SAFE
® Brake*, see “Driving safety
systems” (page 67).
Cruise control
The cruise control automatically maintains
the speed you set for your vehicle.
The use of the cruise control is recom-
mended for driving at a constant speed for
extended periods of time.
You can set or resume the cruise control at
any speed over 20 mph (30 km/h).
The cruise control function is operated by
means of the cruise control lever.
Warning!
G
The cruise control is a convenience system
designed to assist the driver during vehicle
operation. The driver is and must always re-
main responsible for the vehicle’s speed and
for safe brake operation.
Only use the cruise control if the road,
traffic, and weather conditions make it ad-
visable to travel at a steady speed.

The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on winding roads or in heavy traf-
fic because conditions do not allow safe
driving at a steady speed.


The use of the cruise control can be dan-
gerous on slippery roads. Rapid changes
in tire traction can result in wheel spin
and loss of control.


Deactivate the cruise control when driv-
ing in fog.
The “Resume” function should only be oper-
ated if the driver is fully aware of the previ-
ously set speed and wishes to resume this
particular preset speed.

447 Controls in detail
Driving systems
1Setting current or higher speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to re-
sistance point) or 5 mph increments
(past resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
2Setting current or lower speed
Adjustment in 1 mph increments (to re-
sistance point) or 5 mph increments
(past resistance point)
(Canada: 1 km/h or 10 km/h)
3Cancel cruise control
4Resume to last set speedActivating cruise control
You can activate the cruise control if the
vehicle speed is above 20 mph (30 km/h).
In the following cases you cannot activate
the cruise control:


when you brake


the vehicle is secured with the elec-
tronic parking brake


when the automatic transmission is set
to park positionP, reverse gearR, or
neutral positionN


when ESP
® is switched off
Setting current speed

Accelerate or decelerate to the desired
speed.

Briefly lift the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow1 or depress in
direction of arrow2.
Warning!
G
The cruise control brakes automatically so
that the set speed is not exceeded. The
brake pedal depresses when the cruise con-
trol engages the brakes.
Keep driver’s foot area clear at all times, in-
cluding the area under the brake pedal. Ob-
jects stored in this area may impair pedal
movement which could interfere with the
braking ability of the cruise control system.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.
Keep in mind that the cruise control is a con-
venience system designed to assist the driv-
er during vehicle operation. The driver is and
must always remain responsible for the ve-
hicle’s speed and for safe brake operation.
i
The vehicle speed displayed in the speedom-
eter can briefly vary from the speed setting for
the cruise control system.


448 Controls in detailDriving systems
The current speed is set.

Remove your foot from the accelerator
pedal.
The cruise control is activated.

The last set speed appears in the
multifunction display for approxi-
mately 5 seconds.


The corresponding speedometer
segments from the selected speed
to the vehicle maximum speed in
the multifunction display are illumi-
nated.


The set speed is shown by a triangle
in the speedometer.Canceling cruise control
There are several ways to cancel the cruise
control:

Step on the brake pedal.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
or

Briefly push the cruise control lever in
direction of arrow3.
The cruise control is canceled. The last
speed set is stored for later use.
i
On uphill grades, the cruise control may not
be able to maintain the set speed. Once the
grade eases, the set speed will be resumed.
On downhill grades, the cruise control maintains
the set speed by braking with the vehicle’s brake
system. In addition, on longer downhill grades
the automatic transmission will downshift auto-
matically.
i
The last stored set speed is deleted when
the engine is turned off.
i
The cruise control switches off automatical-
ly when


you step on the brake pedal


the vehicle is secured with the electronic
parking brake
In this case the segments in the multifunc-
tion display go out and no warning sounds.


the vehicle speed is below 20 mph
(30 km/h)


the ESP
® is in operation or switched off with
the ESP® switch (
page 74)


you set the automatic transmission to neu-
tral positionN while driving
The segments in the multifunction display go out,
An acoustic warning sounds and the message
“Cruise Control Off” appears in the multifunction
display for approximately 5 seconds.
!
Setting the automatic transmission to neu-
tral positionN while driving cancels the cruise
control. However, the automatic transmission
should not be set to neutral positionN while driv-
ing except to coast when the vehicle is in danger
of skidding (e.g. on icy roads).


449 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Setting a higher speed
You can increase the set speed in two
ways.Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments

Briefly lift the cruise control lever to the
resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 447).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle set speed increases in in-
crements 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).Adjustment in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments

Briefly lift the cruise control lever past
the resistance point in direction of
arrow1 (
page 447).
i
Depressing the accelerator pedal does not
deactivate the cruise control. After brief acceler-
ation (e.g. for passing), the cruise control will re-
sume the last speed set.Warning!
G
If you increase the set speed, keep in mind
that it may take a brief moment until the ve-
hicle has made the necessary adjustments.
Increase the set speed to a value that the
prevailing road conditions and legal speed
limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and unex-
pected acceleration of the vehicle could
cause an accident and/or serious injury to
you and others.
i
The set speed value is increased in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time you lift
the cruise control lever up to the resistance
point.
i
The set speed value is increased in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time you lift
the cruise control lever up past the resistance
point.


450 Controls in detailDriving systems
Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle set speed increases in in-
crements 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
Setting a lower speed
You can reduce the set speed in two ways.Adjustment in 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h)
increments

Briefly press the cruise control lever
down to the resistance point in direc-
tion of arrow2 (
page 447).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle set speed decreases in in-
crements 1 mph (Canada: 1 km/h).
Adjustment in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments

Briefly press the cruise control lever
down past the resistance point in
direction of arrow2 (
page 447).

Release the cruise control lever.
The vehicle set speed decreases in in-
crements 5 mph (Canada: 10 km/h).
Setting to last stored speed
(“Resume” function)
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will ac-
celerate. Keep in mind that it may take a brief
moment until the vehicle has reached the set
speed.Warning!
G
If you decrease the set speed, keep in mind
that it may take a brief moment until the ve-
hicle has made the necessary adjustments.
Decelerate the set speed to a value that the
prevailing road conditions and legal speed
limits permit. Otherwise, sudden and unex-
pected deceleration of the vehicle could
cause an accident and/or serious injury to
you and others.
i
When you use the cruise control lever to de-
celerate, the brake system will automatically
brake the vehicle if the engine’s braking power
does not brake the vehicle sufficiently.
i
The set speed value is decreased in 1 mph
(Canada: 1 km/h) increments each time you
press the cruise control lever down to the resis-
tance point.
i
The set speed value is decreased in 5 mph
(Canada: 10 km/h) increments each time you
press the cruise control lever down past the re-
sistance point.
i
The new speed is set and the vehicle will de-
celerate. Keep in mind that it may take a brief
moment until the vehicle has reached the set
speed.Warning!
G
The set speed stored in memory should only
be set again if prevailing road conditions
permit. Possible acceleration or decelera-
tion differences arising from returning to the
preset speed could cause an accident
and/or serious injury to you and others.