2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class rear view mirror

407 Controls in detail
Lighting
The interior lighting switches off auto-
matically following an adjustable time
delay (
page 270).
Manual control

Switching on/off front interior light-
ing: Press button 3.

Switching on/off rear interior light-
ing: Press button 2.
The front reading lamps reading lamps are
located in the lower edge of the interior
rear view mirror.

Switching on/off front reading
lamps: Press button 1 or 5.

Ambient lighting: The brightness of
the ambient lighting is adjusted via
COMAND (
page 269).Interior lighting in the rear
1Rear interior lamp
2Button
3Reading lamp

Press button2.
You can switch the lamps on/off in
succession as follows:

reading lamp3 and rear interior
lamp1 on


only reading lamp3 on


reading lamp3 off
Door entry lamps
For better orientation in the dark, the cor-
responding door entry lamps will switch on
in darkness when you open a door and the
automatic control is activated.
The door entry lamps switch off when the
corresponding door is closed.Trunk lamp
The trunk lamp switches on if the trunk is
opened.
If the trunk remains open, the trunk light-
ing switches off automatically after ap-
proximately 10 minutes.
i
If the door remains open, the interior lighting
switches off automatically after approximately
5minutes.
i
If you turn the SmartKey in the starter
switch to position0 and switch off the exterior
headlamps, the door entry lamps will remain lit
for approximately 5 minutes.

487 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Canceling the Advanced Parking
Guidance
Press the Park Assist* button
(page 480).
The Advanced Parking Guidance is im-
mediately canceled and Park Assist* is
deactivated. No message is shown in
the multifunction display.
The Advanced Parking Guidance is auto-
matically canceled if guidance into the
parking space is no longer possible or if an
error occurs.
The parking space symbol disappears and
the message “Parking Guidance Canceled”
appears in the multifunction display.
Rear View Camera*
T he R e a r V i e w C a m e r a i s a n e l e c t r o n i c a n d
visual parking aid. It shows you the area
behind the vehicle on the COMAND dis-
play.
In addition, the Rear View Camera contains
guide lines to help you with driving in re-
verse.
The area behind the vehicle is displayed as
a reverse-mirror image similar to the view
in a rear-view mirror.The Rear View Camera is in the handle
strip of the trunk lid.
1Rear View Camera

488 Controls in detailDriving systemsView through the camerai
The image from the Rear View Camera is
shown mirror-inverted on the COMAND display
(
page 31).Warning!
G
Please note that objects which do not touch
the ground, such as the bumper of a vehicle
parked behind you, a trailer hitch, or the
back of a truck, may appear to be further
away than they actually are. In this case, you
should not use the guide lines to judge dis-
tance. The use of the guide lines to judge
distance increases the risk of impacting the
objects.
Warning!
G
The Rear View Camera is a supplement sys-
tem. It is not intended to, nor does it re-
place, the need for extreme care. The
responsibility during parking and other driv-
ing maneuvers always remains with the driv-
er.
The Rear View Camera may show obstacles
with a distorted perspective, incorrectly or
not at all.
Special attention must be paid to objects
outside of the camera’s field of view such as
those located very close to or below the rear
bumper, or above the recessed grip of the
luggage compartment lid. Such objects may
not be detected by the system and can dam-
age the vehicle.
The Rear View Camera does not warn you
about impending collisions with objects. The
driver is always responsible for safety and
must continue to pay attention to the imme-
diate surroundings while parking or maneu-
vering the vehicle. This applies not only to
the area behind the vehicle, but also to the
area in front of and to the sides of the vehi-
cle. Failure to do so could result in injury to
persons and/or damage to the vehicle or
other property. We also recommend that the
driver uses the Parktronic system* or Park
Assist* when parking or maneuvering the
vehicle.

495 Controls in detail
Driving systems
Blind Spot Assist*
Blind Spot Assist uses radar sensors to
monitor the area on both sides of your ve-
hicle. It will assist you when you change
lanes driving at speeds of above 20 mph
(30 km/h). A warning will appear on the
outside rear view mirror as soon as anoth-
er vehicle is detected in the area being
monitored. If you then activate the corre-
sponding turn signals to change lanes, you
will see and hear a collision warning. Blind
Spot Assist operates using two sensors in
the front bumper and four sensors in the
rear bumper.In order for Blind Spot Assist to function,
the radar sensors must be switched on and
operational.
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)
Warning!
G
Blind Spot Assist is only a driving aid and
may not detect all vehicles. It is the driver’s
responsibility at all times to be attentive to
road, weather and traffic conditions and to
provide the steering, braking and other driv-
ing inputs necessary to retain control of the
vehicle. Failure to do so could result in
recognizing dangers too late, possibly re-
sulting in an accident and serious injury to
yourself and others.
Warning!
G
Blind Spot Assist cannot detect road and
traffic conditions.
Blind Spot Assist may not be able to detect
narrow vehicles such as motorcycles or bi-
cycles, or it may not detect them until it is
too late.
The monitoring function may be impaired if
your sensors are dirty, subject to heavy
spray, or if visibility is poor due to e.g. snow,
rain, or fog. This can result in vehicles not
being detected or being detected too late.
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.

543 Controls in detail
Useful features
The Tele Aid system is operational provid-
ing that the vehicle’s battery is charged,
properly connected, not damaged and mo-
bile phone and GPS coverage are available.
The speaker volume of a Tele Aid call can
be adjusted when using the volume control
on the multifunction steering wheel. To
raise, press buttonæ and to lower,
press buttonç or use the COMAND
volume thumbwheel , on the lower
part of the front center console
(page 98).

To activate, press the SOS button, the
Roadside Assistance button• or
the Information button¡, depend-
ing on the type of response required.Shortly after the completion of your
Tele Aid acquaintance call, you will receive
a user ID and password. By visiting
www.mbusa.com and selecting “Tele Aid”
(USA only), you will have access to account
information, remote door unlock and
more.
System self-check
Initially, after switching on the ignition,
malfunctions are detected and indicated.
If a malfunction is detected, the indicator
lamps in the SOS button, the Roadside As-
sistance button• and the Information
button¡ stay on longer than
10 seconds or do not come on. The mes-
sage “Tele Aid Not Activated” or “Tele Aid
Inoperative” appears in the multifunction
display.
i
The Tele Aid system utilizes the mobile
phone network for communication and the GPS
(Global Positioning System) satellites for vehicle
location. If either of these signals are unavail-
able, the Tele Aid system may not function and if
this occurs, assistance must be summoned by
other means.
i
The SOS button is located above the interior
rear view mirror (
page 545).
The Roadside Assistance button• and the
Information button¡ are located below the
center armrest cover (page 546).
Warning!
G
If the indicator lamps in the SOS button, in
the Roadside Assistance button•
and/or in the Information button¡ do
not come on during the system self-check,
or if any of these indicators remain illuminat-
ed continuously in red and/or the message
“Tele Aid Not Activated” or “Tele Aid Inoper-
ative” is displayed in the multifunction dis-
play after the system self-check, a
malfunction in the system has been detect-
ed.
If a malfunction is indicated as outlined
above, the system may not operate as ex-
pected. Have the system checked at the
nearest Mercedes-Benz Center as soon as
possible.

544 Controls in detailUseful featuresEmergency calls
An emergency call is initiated
automatically following an accident in
which the emergency tensioning devices
(ETDs) or air bags deploy.
An emergency call can also be initiated
manually by opening the cover next to the
interior rear view mirror labeled SOS, then
briefly pressing the button located under
the cover. For instructions on initiating an
emergency call manually (
page 545).
Once the emergency call is in progress, the
indicator lamp in the SOS button will begin
to flash. The message:


“Connecting Call” appears in the multi-
function display


“Emergency Call Activated” appears in
the COMAND display
and the audio system is muted. When the
connection is established, the message:


“Call Connected” appears in the multi-
function display


“Emergency Call Activated” appears in
the COMAND display
All information relevant to the emergency,
such as the location of the vehicle (deter-
mined by the GPS satellite location sys-
tem), vehicle model, identification number
and color are generated.
A voice connection between the Response
Center and the occupants of the vehicle
will be established automatically soon af-
ter the emergency call has been initiated.
The Response Center will attempt to deter-
mine more precisely the nature of the acci-
dent provided they can speak to an
occupant of the vehicle.The Tele Aid system is available if


it has been activated and is operation-
al. Activation requires a subscription
for monitoring services, connection,
and cellular air time


the relevant monitoring service and
GPS coverage are available and pass
the information on to the Response
Center


there is sufficient voltage in the vehicle
batteries
i
During the emergency call message “Emer-
gency Call Activated” is displayed, operation
from COMAND is not possible. The automatic cli-
mate control can be still adjusted using the
switches on the climate control panel.
i
If no vehicle occupant responds, an ambu-
lance will be sent to the vehicle immediately.
i
Location of the vehicle on a map is only pos-
sible if the vehicle is able to receive signals from
the GPS satellite network and pass the informa-
tion on to the Response Center.Warning!
G
If the indicator lamp in the SOS button is
flashing continuously and there was no
voice connection to the Response Center
established, then the Tele Aid system could
not initiate an emergency call (e.g. the rele-
vant mobile phone network is not available).

551 Controls in detail
Useful features
Garage door opener
The integrated remote control is capable of
operating up to three separately controlled
devices. It provides a convenient way to re-
place up to three hand-held remote con-
trols used to operate devices such as
garage door openers, gate openers, or oth-
er devices compatible with HomeLink
® or
some other systems.
Before the integrated remote control can
be used, it must be programmed to the ga-
rage door opener, gate operator or other
device you wish to operate. See the follow-
ing instructions for programming informa-
tion.
Interior rear view mirror with integrated
remote control1Indicator lamp
2 3 4Signal transmitter button
Needed for programming (not part of vehi-
cle equipment):
5Hand-held remote control of ga-
rage door opener, gate operator
or other device
6Hand-held remote control
button
Warning!
G
Before programming the integrated remote
control to a garage door opener or gate
operator, make sure people and objects are
out of the way of the device to prevent po-
tential harm or damage. When programming
a garage door opener, the door moves up or
down. When programming a gate operator,
the gate opens or closes.
Do not use the integrated remote control
with any garage door opener that lacks
safety stop and reverse features as required
by U.S. federal safety standards (this
includes any garage door opener model
manufactured before April 1, 1982).
A garage door that cannot detect an object
– signaling the door to stop and reverse –
does not meet current U.S. federal safety
standards.
When programming a garage door opener,
park the vehicle outside the garage.


617 Operation
Vehicle care
Engine cleaning
Prior to cleaning the engine compartment,
make sure to protect electrical compo-
nents and connectors from contact with
water and cleaning agents.
Corrosion protection, such as
MB Anticorrosion Wax, should be applied
to the engine compartment after every
engine cleaning. Before applying, all
control linkage bushings and joints should
be lubricated. The poly-V-belt and all pul-
leys should be protected from any wax.
Vehicle washing
In the winter, thoroughly remove all traces
of road salt as soon as possible.
When washing the vehicle underbody, do
not forget to clean the inner sides of the
wheels.Hand-wash
Do not use hot water or wash your vehicle
in direct sunlight.

Only use a mild car wash detergent,
such as Mercedes-Benz approved Car
Shampoo.

Thoroughly spray the vehicle with a dif-
fused jet of water.
Direct only a very weak spray towards
the ventilation intake.

Use plenty of water and rinse the
sponge and chamois frequently.

Rinse with clean water and thoroughly
dry with a chamois.
Do not allow cleaning agents to dry on
the finish.Automatic car wash
You can have your car washed in an auto-
matic car wash from the start. Automatic
car washes without brushes are prefera-
ble.

To protect the filter system, switch the
automatic climate control to air recir-
culation mode (
page 506).
If the vehicle is very dirty, prewash it be-
fore running it through the automatic car
wash.
i
Vehicles with KEYLESS-GO*:
If a door handle is hit by a strong jet of water, and
a SmartKey with KEYLESS-GO* is in close prox-
imity, i.e. within approximately 3 ft (approxi-
mately 1 m), the vehicle could be inadvertently
locked or unlocked.
!
Do not use scouring agents on these parts.
Never apply strong force and only use a soft,
non-scratching cloth when cleaning the vehicle.
Do not attempt to wipe the surface with a dry
cloth or sponge.
Otherwise you may scratch or damage the paint.
!
Do not clean your vehicle in an automatic
touchless car wash which uses caustic spray.
Otherwise the caustic spray will damage the
paint or ornamental moldings.
!
Make sure that the windshield wiper switch
is set to0 (
page 408). Otherwise, e.g. the rain
sensor could activate and cause the wipers to
move unintentionally. This may lead to vehicle
damage.
Due to the width of the vehicle, fold in exterior
rear view mirrors prior to running the vehicle
through an automatic car wash to prevent dam-
age to the mirrors.