2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class brake

79 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
When the distance to the forward vehicle is
too small, the distance warning lampl
lights up in the instrument cluster. If you
approach the forward vehicle very quickly,
you will hear a warning tone.
If you do not apply the brakes yourself or
maneuver around a sensed obstacle, the
vehicle will automatically initiate light
braking. PRE-SAFE
® (page 57) is activat-
ed when the distance to the vehicle ahead
at your current speed is so close that
PRE-SAFE
® Brake will not be capable of
slowing the vehicle sufficiently.
Warning!
G
PRE-SAFE
® Brake will only respond with
brake assistance if it has clearly detected an
object. Detection can be impeded by


dirty or covered sensors


snowfall or heavy rain


disturbance from other radar sources


strong radar reflection such as in park-
ing garages
PRE-SAFE
® Brake uses radar signals that
are not reflected well by narrow objects and
absorptive materials. For this reason BAS
Plus will not react to


persons and animals


approaching traffic or cross-traffic
PRE-SAFE
® Brake may not detect narrow ve-
hicles driving in front of you, such as motor-
cycles and vehicles driving offset from your
vehicle center.
Warning!
G
PRE-SAFE
® Brake brakes your vehicle with a
maximum of 13 ft/s
2 (4 m/s
2). This corre-
sponds to about 40% of the maximum decel-
eration ability of your vehicle. This
automatic braking is intended only to ini-
tiate the braking if the driver has not already
done so. The driver must apply the brakes in
order to prevent a collision.
PRE-SAFE
® Brake applies the brake pedal
automatically which results in the brake
pedal moving. Therefore keep driver’s foot
area clear at all times, including the area un-
der the brake pedal. Objects stored in this
area may impair pedal movement which
could interfere with the braking ability of the
PRE-SAFE® Brake.
Do not place your foot under the brake pedal
– your foot could become caught.

80 Safety and SecurityDriving safety systemsTo maintain the proper distance to the ve-
hicle in front of you and thus prevent a
rear-end collision, you must apply the
brakes yourself.
Immediately brake the vehicle to avoid
a collision.
Under no circumstances should the
driver await the intermittent warning
sound before braking. See the follow-
ing warning note.
The intermittent warning sound ceases
and the distance warning lampl
goes out when the necessary distance
to the vehicle ahead is again
established.PRE-SAFE
® Brake can react to stationary
obstacles such as standing or parked vehi-
cles at road speeds of up to approximately
40 mph (70 km/h).

Activating and deactivating: Activate
or deactivate PRE-SAFE
® Brake using
the instrument cluster control system
(
page 303).
After the function has been activated,
indicator : appears on the
left-hand side of the multifunction dis-
play.
Warning!
G
An intermittent warning sounds and the dis-
tance warning lampl in the instrument
cluster is illuminated if PRE-SAFE
® Brake
calculates that the distance to the vehicle
ahead and your vehicle’s current speed indi-
cate that PRE-SAFE
® Brake will not be capa-
ble of slowing the vehicle sufficiently to
maintain the preset following distance,
which creates a danger of a collision.
Immediately brake your vehicle to increase
the distance between your vehicle and the
vehicle driving in front of you. The warning
sound is intended as a final caution that you
have not interceded with your own braking
inputs to avoid a potentially dangerous situ-
ation. Do not wait for the operation of the
warning signal to intercede with your own
braking, as that will result in potentially dan-
gerous emergency braking which will not al-
ways result in an impact being avoided.
Tailgating increases the risk of an accident.
Warning!
G
If you do not receive visual or acoustic warn-
ing signals, PRE-SAFE
® Brake has either not
recognized the collision risk, has been deac-
tivated or is malfunctioning. Apply the
brakes yourself to avoid a collision.

81 Safety and Security
Driving safety systems
PRE-SAFE
® Brake does not always clearly
interpret complex traffic situations. If a vi-
sual and/or acoustic warning is issued in
an uncritical driving situation, or if the ve-
hicle brakes lightly, you can interrupt the
PRE-SAFE® Brake maneuver by


pressing down all the way on the accel-
erator or using kickdown


releasing the brake pedalThe PRE-SAFE
® Brake maneuver is termi-
nated immediately when


you avoid the obstacle by evasive
steering


you drive less than 9 mph (15 km/h)


an obstacle can no longer be identified
ahead of you


the system no longer senses the risk of
a collisionAfter a hard collision or damage to the
front of the vehicle from an accident, have
the settings and operation of the radar
sensors checked by an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
i
PRE-SAFE
® Brake will remain passive while
DISTRONIC Plus* is switched on (
page 451).

290 Control systemsInstrument cluster control system
Telephone* (
page 299)
Assistance* (
page 303)
Service (
page 304)
Settings (
page 305)
Commands/submenusDialing a number from the
phone book
Displaying the distance graph-
ic*, DISTRONIC Plus*
Calling up vehicle malfunction,
warning and system status
messages stored in memory
Setting daytime running lamp
mode (USA only)
Redialing
Activating/deactivating
PRE-SAFE
® Brake*
(vehicles with
DISTRONIC Plus* only)
Checking tire inflation pres-
sure
Switching additional speedome-
ter on or off
Answering a call
Switching on or off Rear View
Camera* automatically
Calling up maintenance ser-
vice display
Switching on or off radar
sensors*
Ending a call or rejecting an in-
coming call
Switching on or off Blind Spot
Assist*
Checking engine oil level*

303 Control systems
Instrument cluster control system
Assistance* menu
In the “Assistance” menu, you can change
the settings of your driving systems.
Displaying distance graphic*,
DISTRONIC Plus* (USA only)
For information about displaying distance
graphic (
page 455).
Activating/deactivating PRE-SAFE
®
Brake* (USA only)

Press ( or & to select the
“Assistance” menu.

Press % or $ to select the
“PRE-SAFE Brake” function.

Press #.1PRE-SAFE
® Brake* indicator:

Press # again if you would like to
change the current status.
After the function has been activated,
indicator: appears on the
left-hand side of the multifunction dis-
play.
For more information (
page 77).Switching on or off Rear View Camera*
automatically

Press ( or & to select the
“Assistance” menu.

Press % or $ to select the
“Rearview Camera” function.

Press #.

Press # again if you would like to
change the current status.
i
The menu overview can be found on
(
page 289).
i
The image from the Rear View Camera is
shown on the COMAND display.


307 Control systems
Instrument cluster control system
Switching radar sensors* on/off
If your vehicle is equipped with DISTRONIC
Plus*, BAS Plus*, or Park Assist* it is
equipped with a radar sensor system
which you can switch on and off.
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)

Press ( or & to select the “Set-
tings” menu.

Press % or $ to select the “Ra-
dar Sensors” function.

Press #.

Press # again if you would like to
change the current status.
Depending on the previous status, the
radar sensors will be switched on or
off.
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.
i
The selected status of the radar sensors re-
mains stored in memory even if the engine is
turned off and restarted.
i
The following message appears in the multi-
function display if the radar sensors are
switched off and you attempt to activate DIS-
TRONIC Plus*, Park Assist* or PRE-SAFE
®
Brake*:
“Radar Sensors
(See Oper. Manual)
Disabled”

361 Controls in detail
Locking and unlocking

Restoring to factory setting: Press
and hold buttonsŒ and‹ si-
multaneously for about 5 seconds until
battery check lamp5 (
page 358)
flashes twice.
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO*
Vehicles equipped with KEYLESS-GO come
with two SmartKeys with KEYLESS-GO,
each with remote control and a removable
mechanical key.
The KEYLESS-GO function is integrated
into the SmartKey. On these vehicles, the
validity of the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO
is checked every time you grasp an outside
door handle.
With the KEYLESS-GO function, you can
lock and unlock the vehicle without using
the remote control buttons on the
SmartKey and start the engine without in-
serting the SmartKey in the starter switch.The SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO centrally
locks and unlocks, when set to factory set-
tings (
page 364):


the doors


the trunk


the fuel filler flap
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO1‹ Lock button
2ŠOpening button for trunk
(
page 511)
3Locking tab for mechanical key
4ΠUnlock button
5Battery check lamp
6ÂPanic button (
page 66)
i
When any outside door handle other than
the driver’s outside door handle is grasped, the
vehicle is centrally unlocked.
!
To prevent possible malfunction, avoid ex-
posing the SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO to high
levels of electromagnetic radiation.
Warning!
G
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.
Children could start the vehicle with a valid
SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO left in the vehi-
cle or with the KEYLESS-GO button on the
starter switch, or could release the electron-
ic parking brake, thereby putting them-
selves and others in danger. Switch off the
engine and take the SmartKey with
KEYLESS-GO with you even if you are only
leaving the vehicle for a short while.

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