2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class display

355 Control systems
Voice Control individualization
Voice Control individualization
The individualization is used to adapt the
Voice Control System to your own voice
and to therefore improve speech recogni-
tion. This does not affect the speech rec-
ognition of other users.
Individualization consists of two stages:

Digits


Commands
You can activate individualization in the
COMAND system settings (
page 261).
A dialog and screen displays will guide you
through the individualization process.
The system can be reset to the factory set-
tings at any time.
i
The individualization can only be performed
when the vehicle is stationary.
If you drive off, the individualization will be can-
celed.
After starting the session, the system will guide
you through the individualization by means of
acoustic instructions.
i
You may wish to complete only a portion of
the individualization process.
Completing the digits portion alone may result in
an improved recognition rate.
Individualization can be exited at any time. The
data trained, however, will only be retained if a
given individualization portion is completed and
the data is stored when prompted to do so by the
system.

363 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking


Always carry the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you.


Never store the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO together with:

Electronic items such as a mobile
phone or another SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO


Metallic objects such as coins or
metal foil
Doing so could impair the function of
the KEYLESS-GO system.


To lock or unlock the vehicle, the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located outside the vehicle within ap-
proximately 3 ft (1 m) of a door or the
trunk lid.


If the vehicle has been parked for more
than 72 hours, you must pull an outside
door handle in order to activate the
KEYLESS-GO function.


In order to start the engine with the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO:

The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
must be located in the vehicle.


The KEYLESS-GO start/stop button
must be inserted in the starter
switch (
page 372).


The brake pedal must be firmly de-
pressed. Do not depress the accel-
erator.


If the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is
positioned farther away from the vehi-
cle, the system may no longer recog-
nize the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO.
The vehicle then cannot be locked or
the engine started via the KEYLESS-GO
system.


I f t he Sm a rtK ey with K EY L ES S -GO is re -
moved from the vehicle (e.g. if passen-
ger exits the vehicle with the SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO)


when pressing the KEYLESS-GO
start/stop button or trying to lock
the vehicle with the outside door
handle the message
“Key Not Detected” appears in the
multifunction display


with the engine running, the mes-
sage “Key Not Detected” appears in
the multifunction display while driv-
ing off
Find the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO or
change its present location immediate-
ly (e.g. place it on the front passenger
seat or insert it in shirt pocket).


If you have started the engine with the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button, you
can turn it off again with:

the KEYLESS-GO start/stop button


the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO in-
serted in the starter switch, when
the automatic transmission is in
park positionP

364 Controls in detailLocking and unlocking

Remember that the engine can be
started by anyone with a SmartKey
wi th KEY LES S-GO tha t i s le ft ins id e t he
vehicle.
Possibility 1: (One SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO in the vehicle, one
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO outside
the vehicle):
If you leave the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO behind when exiting and
locking the vehicle, no message
appears in the multifunction display.
Possibility 2: (One SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO in the vehicle, no
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO outside
the vehicle):
When exiting and trying to lock the ve-
hicle, the message “Key Detected In
Vehicle” appears in the multifunction
display. The vehicle will not be locked.Factory setting
1Outside door handle

Global unlocking: Grasp an outside
door handle1.

All turn signal lamps flash once.


An acoustic signal sounds once
(if equipped and feature activated).


The locking knobs in the doors
move up.


The anti-theft alarm system is dis-
armed.
The vehicle will lock again automatically
and rearm the anti-theft alarm system
within approximately 40 seconds of un-
locking if:


neither a door nor the trunk is opened


the central locking/unlocking switch is
not activated
i
Your vehicle may be equipped with an
acoustic lock and unlock confirmation signal fea-
ture. If your vehicle is equipped with this feature
and the feature is activated, an acoustic signal
will sound when the vehicle is locked or unlocked
using the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO.
To determine whether or not your vehicle is
equipped with this feature, contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center. If equipped and
you wish to activate or deactivate the feature, or
adjust its signal volume, also contact an autho-
rized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
The vehicle could inadvertently be unlocked
if the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO is within 3 ft
(1 m) of the vehicle and:


an outside door handle is splashed with wa-
ter, or


you attempt to clean an outside door handle.

367 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking
Opening doors from the inside
You can open a locked door from the in-
side. Open door only when conditions are
safe to do so.
1Locking knob
2Inside door handleFront doors

Pull on door handle2 on the respec-
tive front door to open door.
If the door was locked, locking knob1
will move up.
Rear doors

Pull up locking knob1 on the respec-
tive rear door to unlock door.

Pull on door handle2 on the respec-
tive rear door to open door.
i
If the vehicle has been locked with the
SmartKey or KEYLESS-GO*, opening a door from
the inside will trigger the anti-theft alarm system.
To cancel the alarm, do one of the following:


Insert the SmartKey or SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO* in the starter switch.


Press button Œ or ‹ on the SmartKey
or SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*.
In vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:


Grasp an outside door handle.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be
within 3 ft (1 m) of the vehicle.


Press the KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(page 372).
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* must be
inside the vehicle.
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the low beam headlamps or the
parking lamps before opening the driver’s door.
In addition the message “Please Switch Off
Lights” appears in the multifunction display.Switch off the low beam headlamps or the park-
ing lamps.
If the message “Turn Lights Off or Remove Key”
appears in the multifunction display remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch or switch off
the automatic headlamp mode.
!
Failure to switch off the exterior lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.

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.

399 Controls in detail
Lighting
Lighting
Exterior lamp switch
The exterior lamp switch is located on the
dashboard to the left of the steering wheel.
i
If you drive in countries where vehicles drive
on the other side of the road than the country in
which the vehicle is registered, you must have
the headlamps modified for symmetrical low
beams. Relevant information can be obtained at
any authorized Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
The active Bi-Xenon headlamps monitor
your steering angle and driving speed, then auto-
matically shift their beams to either side to bet-
ter follow the curvature of the road ahead,
increasing usable illumination over conventional
headlamps.
1‚
Standing lamps, left (turn left two
stops)
2ˆ
Standing lamps, right (turn left
one stop)
3M
Off
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 401)
4*
Automatic headlamp mode
Daytime running lamp mode
(page 401)
5C
Parking lamps (also tail lamps, li-
cense plate lamps, side marker
lamps, instrument panel lamps)
6B
Low beam headlamps or high
beam headlamps
7‡
Front fog lamps
8†
Rear fog lamp
i
If you hear a warning signal you have forgot-
ten to switch off the low beam headlamps or the
parking lamps before opening the driver’s door.
In addition the message “Please Switch Off
Lights” appears in the multifunction display.
Switch off the low beam headlamps or the park-
ing lamps.
If the message “Turn Lights Off or Remove Key”
appears in the multifunction display remove the
SmartKey from the starter switch or switch off
the automatic headlamp mode.
!
Failure to switch off the exterior lamps when
leaving the vehicle may result in a discharged
battery.

417 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
For more information on how to operate
the gear selector lever, see “Automatic
transmission” (
page 426).
Starting with the SmartKey

Make sure the automatic transmission
is set to park positionP.
The gear position indicator in the multi-
function display should be on park
positionP.

Do not depress accelerator.

Turn the SmartKey in the starter switch
to position3 and hold until the engine
starts (
page 370).
For information on turning off the engine
with the SmartKey, see “Turning off the en-
gine” (
page 424).Starting with KEYLESS-GO*
You can start your vehicle without the
SmartKey in the starter switch using the
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button on the
starter switch.
The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO must be
located in the vehicle.
KEYLESS-GO start/stop button1USA only
2Canada only
Make sure KEYLESS-GO start/stop
button is inserted in the starter switch
(page 371).

Make sure the automatic transmission
is set to park positionP.
The gear position indicator in the multi-
function display should be on park
positionP.

Depress the brake pedal during the
starting procedure.

Do not depress accelerator.
i
You can also use the “touch-start” function.
Turn the SmartKey to position3 and release it
again immediately. The engine then starts auto-
matically.
i
You can also start the engine with the auto-
matic transmission set to neutral positionN.
Warning!
G
As long as the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
is in your vehicle, the vehicle can be started.
Therefore, never leave children unattended
in the vehicle, as they could otherwise acci-
dentally start the engine.
When leaving the vehicle, always take the
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO 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.


419 Controls in detail
Driving and parking
Driving off
Depress the brake pedal.
The gear selector lever can now be
used.

Shift the automatic transmission to
drive positionD or reverse gearR.

Release the brake pedal.

Carefully depress the accelerator
pedal.
The electronic parking brake is auto-
matically released (
page 422).
The red brake warning lamp 0
(USA only) or ! (Canada only) in the
instrument cluster goes out.After a cold start, the automatic transmis-
sion shifts at a higher engine revolution.
This allows the catalytic converter to reach
its operating temperature earlier.
i
Wait for the gear selection process to com-
plete before setting the vehicle in motion.
i
Shifting from park positionP to reverse
gearR, neutral positionN, or drive positionD is
only possible with the brake pedal depressed.
Without the brake pedal depressed, the gear se-
lector lever can be moved, but the parking pawl
remains engaged, not allowing shifting to occur.
!
If you hear a warning signal, the red indica-
tor lamp 0 (USA only) or ! (Canada only)
in the instrument cluster flashes and the mes-
sage “Please Release Parking Brake” appears in
the multifunction display when driving off, you
are driving with the electronic parking brake en-
gaged, or you are carrying out an emergency
brake application with the electronic parking
brake.
Release the electronic parking brake
(
page 422).
i
Once the vehicle is in motion, the automatic
central locking system engages and the locking
knobs in the doors move down.
The automatic door lock feature can be deacti-
vated (page 267).
You can open a locked door from the inside.
Open door only when conditions are safe to do
so.
Warning!
G
On slippery road surfaces, never downshift
in order to obtain braking action. This could
result in drive wheel slip and reduced vehi-
cle control. Your vehicle’s ABS will not pre-
vent this type of loss of control.Warning!
G
It is dangerous to shift the gear selector le-
ver out of park positionP or neutral
positionN if the engine speed is higher than
idle speed. If your foot is not firmly on the
brake pedal, the vehicle could accelerate
quickly forward or in reverse. You could lose
control of the vehicle and hit someone or
something. Only shift into gear when the en-
gine is idling normally and when your right
foot is firmly on the brake pedal.