2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class Vehicle

404 Controls in detailLightingCorner-illuminating lamps
The corner-illuminating lamps improve illu-
mination of the area in the direction into
which you are turning.
The corner-illuminating lamps will operate
with the engine running and with:

the exterior lamp switch in
positionB or* (
page 399)
or


the daytime running lamp mode acti-
vated (
page 401).Switching on corner-illuminating lamps

Switch on the left or right turn signal
(page 399), depending on whether
you are turning left or right.
or

Turn steering wheel in desired direc-
tion.
The corner-illuminating lamp on the
side of your steering direction comes
on.
i
The corner-illuminating lamps will only come
on in low ambient lighting conditions.
i
If you are driving faster than 43 mph
(70 km/h), the corner-illuminating function is
not available.
i
If you have switched on the turn signal for
one side but turn the steering wheel in the other
direction, the corner-illuminating lamp lights up
on the side of the turn signal.
i
The corner-illuminating lamps temporarily
come on on both sides of the vehicle if you turn
the steering wheel in one direction and then in
the other direction shortly thereafter.
i
The corner-illuminating lamps will come on
automatically depending on the steering angle,
even if you did not switch on either turn signal. If
the corner-illuminating lamps came on automat-
ically, they will also go out automatically depend-
ing on the steering angle.
i
When you shift the automatic transmission
in reverse gearR, the corner-illuminating lamp
opposite to your steering direction comes on.
The turn signal has no influence on the corner-il-
luminating lamp on the outside of the curve.

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.

406 Controls in detailLightingInterior lighting Interior lighting in the front
The controls are located in the overhead
control panel.
1Left reading lamp on/off
2Rear interior lamps on/off
3Front interior lighting on/off
4Interior lighting control
5Right reading lamp on/offAutomatic control

Deactivating: Press button4.
The OFF indicator lamp next to the but-
ton comes on.
The interior lighting remains switched
off in darkness, even when you:

unlock the vehicle


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


open a door

Activating: Press button4.
The interior lighting switches on in
darkness, when you:

unlock the vehicle


remove the SmartKey from the
starter switch


open a door
i
Even with the SmartKey being removed from
the starter switch you can still use the lighting for
the storage compartment, glove box and vanity
mirrors, when you open a door or press one of
the interior lighting buttons. If a lamp is switched
on and you do not lock the vehicle, it will be
switched off automatically after 30 minutes.
When you lock the vehicle from the outside, the
interior lighting is switched off.
i
The interior lighting is factory-set to auto-
matic mode.

408 Controls in detailWindshield wipersCombination switch1Switching on windshield wipers
2Single wipe
Wiping with windshield washer fluid

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).
Switching on/off windshield wipers
Turn the combination switch to the
desired position depending on the
intensity of the rain.
MWindshield wipers off
USlow intermittent wiping
(rain sensor operation with low
sensitivity)
VFast intermittent wiping
(rain sensor operation with high
sensitivity)
uSlow continuous wiping
tFast continuous wiping
!
If the windshield wipers leave smears on the
windshield after the car has been driven through
an automatic car wash, then wax or other resi-
due is on the windshield. Shortly after washing
the car in an automatic car wash, clean the wind-
shield with windshield washer fluid
(
page 409).
!
Do not operate the windshield wipers when
the windshield is dry. Dust that accumulates on
a windshield might scratch the glass and/or
damage the wiper blades when wiping occurs on
a dry windshield. If it is necessary to operate the
windshield wipers in dry weather conditions, al-
ways operate the windshield wipers with wind-
shield washer fluid (
page 409).
!
If anything blocks the windshield wipers
(leaves, snow, etc.), switch them off immediate-
ly.


For safety reasons, stop the vehicle in a safe
location and,

remove SmartKey from starter switch
or


turn off the engine by pressing the
KEYLESS-GO* start/stop button
(page 372) and open the driver’s door
(with the driver’s door open, starter
switch is in position0, same as with
SmartKey removed from starter switch)
before attempting to remove any blockage.


Remove blockage.


Turn the windshield wipers on again.If the windshield wipers fail to function at all in
the combination switch position U or V,


set the combination switch to the next
higher wiper speed


have the windshield wipers checked at the
nearest authorized Mercedes-Benz Center

409 Controls in detail
Windshield wipers
Intermittent wiping
Only switch on intermittent wiping under
wet weather conditions or in the presence
of precipitation.

Turn the combination switch to posi-
tion U or V.
The wipers move across the wind-
shield. Afterward, the wiping intervals
are determined by the wetness of the
windshield.
After the initial wipe, pauses between
wipes are automatically controlled by the
rain sensor.
Single wipe
Press the combination switch briefly in
the direction of arrow2 (
page 408)
to the resistance point.
The windshield wipers wipe one time
without washer fluid.
Wiping with windshield washer fluid
Press the combination switch in the di-
rection of arrow2 (
page 408) past
the resistance point.
The windshield wiper operates with
washer fluid.
For information on filling up the washer
reservoir, see “Windshield washer system
and headlamp cleaning system”
(
page 580).
i
When the windshield wipers are switched on
and you brake the vehicle to a stop, the wipers
operate more slowly.
!
Do not leave windshield wipers on an inter-
mittent setting when the vehicle is taken to an
automatic car wash or during windshield clean-
ing. Wipers will operate in the presence of water
sprayed on the windshield, and windshield wip-
ers may be damaged as a result.
!
If you have set intermittent wiping, dirt on
the surface of the rain sensor or optical effects
may cause the windshield wipers to wipe in an
undesired fashion. This could then damage the
windshield wiper blades or scratch the windows.
You should therefore switch off the windshield
wipers when weather conditions are dry.
i
Intermittent wiping is interrupted when the
vehicle is at a standstill and a front door is
opened. This protects persons getting into or out
of the vehicle from being sprayed.
Intermittent wiping will be continued when


all doors are closed
and


the automatic transmission is set to drive
positionD or reverse gearR
or


the wiper setting is changed using the com-
bination switch
i
To prevent smears on the windshield or
noisy/chattering wiper blades, wipe with wind-
shield washer fluid every now and then even
when it is raining.

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.

411 Controls in detail
Power windows

Switch on the ignition (
page 370).

Opening: Press the lower part of
switch1 to 4 (
page 410) to the re-
sistance point.
The corresponding window will move
downwards until you release the
switch.

Closing: Press the upper part of
switch1 to 4 (
page 410) to the re-
sistance point.
The corresponding window will move
upwards until you release the switch.
If the window encounters an obstruction
that blocks its path in a circumstance where
you are closing the window by pressing and
holding the switch, by pressing and holding
button ‹ on the SmartKey or SmartKey
with KEYLESS-GO*, by pressing and holding
the sensor surface (vehicles with
KEYLESS-GO*) on an outside door handle,
or by pressing and holding button, on
the climate control panel, the automatic re-
versal function will not operate.
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.
i
You can also open or close the windows us-
ing the SmartKey, see “Summer opening fea-
ture” (page 412) and “Convenience closing
feature” (page 413).
Depending on current position, the windows may
also open or close when the air recirculation
button, (page 501) is pressed and held
for 2 seconds.
i
Operating the windows from the rear is not
possible if you activate the override switch
(
page 64).
i
If PRE-SAFE
® has been activated, the door
windows close automatically until only a small
gap remains.
i
With the SmartKey in starter switch
position0 or removed from the starter switch,
the power windows can be operated:


until you open the driver’s or front passenger
door


for at least 5 minutes if no door was opened
Warning!
G
If you press and hold the switch up when
closing the window, and upward movement
of the window is blocked by some obstruc-
tion including but not limited to arms, hands,
fingers, etc., the automatic reversal will not
operate.


412 Controls in detailPower windows
Express-opening: Press the lower part
of switch1 to4 (
page 410) past
the resistance point and release.
The corresponding window opens com-
pletely.

Express-closing: Press the upper part
of switch1 to4 (
page 410) past
the resistance point and release.
The corresponding window closes com-
pletely.

Stopping during Express-operation:
Briefly press the respective power win-
dow switch again.
Rear side window sunshades*
Closing: With the side window fully
closed, press the upper part of
switch3 or4 (
page 410).
The rear side window sunshade will be
fully closed.

Opening: Press the lower part of
switch3 or4 (
page 410).
The rear side window sunshade will be
fully opened.
Summer opening feature
If the weather is warm, you can ventilate
the vehicle before driving off by simulta-
neously:

opening the door windows and rear
side window sunshades*


opening the tilt/sliding sunroof or
tilt/sliding panel* and extending the
roller sunblinds*


turning on the seat ventilation* for the
driver’s seat
Warning!
G
Driver’s door only:
If within 5 seconds you again press the
switch past the resistance point and re-
lease, the automatic reversal will not oper-
ate.
!
If the upward movement of the window is
blocked during the closing procedure, the win-
dow will stop and open slightly. Remove the ob-
struction, press the respective power window
switch at the upper part again past the resis-
tance point and release. If the window still does
not close when there is no obstruction, press
and hold the respective power window switch at
the upper part. The side window will then close
without the obstruction sensor function.
i
The rear side window sunshade cannot be
partially closed.
i
The switches on the rear doors can also be
used to close the rear side window sunshades on
the other side of the vehicle.
i
The switches on the driver’s door take pre-
cedence over the rocker switches on the other
doors.